An introductory assessment of the prevalence of violence in schools considers the scope of the problem both within and outside school grounds and discusses who carries the responsibility for creating safe schools. Three chapters then address various types of violent interactions in schools: student-to-student violence, student-to-teacher violence, and teacher-to-student violence. The chapter on student-to-student violence discusses the roots of violence, how students harm each other, and how to prevent student-to-student violence. A chapter on student-to-teacher violence presents a brief case story and then considers what can be done to address such violence. Guidelines for supporting a teacher through such a crisis are also provided. The discussion of teacher-to-student violence focuses on the characteristics of such violence. It can include excessive corporal punishment as well as sexual abuse and harassment. The prevention of such teacher behavior is discussed as well. A chapter on strategies to prevent violence in schools encompasses prevention strategies, racial and ethnic group conflict, guns and other weapons in schools, gang activity in schools, the full-service school, self-inflicted violence, bullying, and the potential liability of school employees. Another chapter suggests guidelines for dealing with particular types of situations, notably when a racial/ethnic incident occurs, when a gun or other weapon is used, when a gang-related crisis is imminent, when a suicide occurs, and when a rape or other sexual assault occurs. The book concludes with specific suggestions for the school administrator. A 20-item annotated bibliography and 24 references