7/18/2016 NCADI: CSAP Resource Guide: Violence In Schools

https://web.archive.org/web/20090828022823/http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/govpubs/ms713 1/21

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Violence In Schools

Schools

are one

of the

safest

places

for our

children.

Despite

the

recent

spate of

horrific

violence

and

school

shootings, which have demonstrated that even

schools are not completely safe, less than 1 percent

of all violent deaths of children accur on school

grounds. Still, we recognize that the devastating

impact of violence and drugs on our schools cannot

be tolerated at any level. Some schools do

experience a high level of community violence that

spills into them. This is particularly true of schools

in neighborhoods that have suffered from the

recent epidemics of youth gun violence and crack

cocaine.

But it is perhaps most true of schools that even low

levels of disorder (the broken windows theory) can

be as destructive to a community as serious

criminality. For teachers and students, bullying and

fear of violence corrode the entire pedagogical

process­­a system that rests on free inquiry and

trust. Our system of public education is the linchpin

of civic society, where students internalize values

of tolerance and civic participation.

For prevention professionals, to the extent that

youth violence presents a public health threat,

schools constitute the one institution where

intervention can have a systematic impact. Asking

schools to shoulder the burden of preventing
7/18/2016 NCADI: CSAP Resource Guide: Violence In Schools

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substance abuse and violence adds to their existing

burden. But educators, counselors, and health care

professionals cannot avoid taking a stand without

risking the central purpose of schools: a viable

education.

The mass killings at five public schools (all in rural

or suburban settings) across the country from

December 1997 to May 1999 were a wake­up call.

The resources listed in this guide may help us

answer that call and ensure a safe learnign

environment in our schools.

Nelba Chavez, Ph.D.

Administrator

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

Administration

Ruth Sanchez­Way, Ph.D.

Acting Director, Substance Abuse and Mental Health

services Administration

MS713

The listing of materials of programs in this resource

guide does not constitute or imply endorsement by

the Center fro Substance Abuse Prevention, the

Public Health Service, the Substance Abuse and

Mental Health Services Administration, or the

Department of Health and Human Services. The

materials have been reviewed for accuracy,

appropriateness, and conformance with public

health principals.

This Substance Abuse Resource Guide was compiled

from a variety of publications and data bases and

represents the most current inforamtion to date. It

is not an all­inclusive listing of materials on this

topic. This guide will be updated regularly, and your

comments or suggestions are welcome. To suggest

information or materails that might be included in

future editions, please write to SAMHSA's National

Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information

(NCADI), P.O. Box 2345, Rockville, MD 20847­2345.

Produced by SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for

Alcohol and Drug Information, Lucinda Myers,

editor.

For further information on alcohol, tobacco, and

illicit drugs, call 800­729­6686, 301­468­2600, or

TDD 800­487­4889. Or visit us on our World Wide

Web Site at http://ncadi.samhsa.gov.

Books

Safe at School: Awareness and

Action for Parents

Each year in schools across the United States, more

than 3 million crimes are committed, over 9,000

fires break out, and hundreds of thousands of

students are injured. Administrations are

overwhelmed, under funded, and sometimes

unresponsive. This book teaches parents what they

can do to combat violence and make schools safer.
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Safe at School gives parents the knowledge and

skills they need to take action, be heard, and get

results. It covers a myriad of school safety

problems­guns, drugs, supervision, disaster

preparation, sexual harassment, asbestos in the

air, lead in the water, bullies, class trips, school

maintenance, and many more. Step­by­step action

plans explain how to identify safety problems at

your child's school, how to form a parent safety

group, and how to hold schools accountable for

your child's safety.

Author: Silverman, C.

Year: 1999

Format: Paperback book

Length: 224 pages

Topic: Creating safer schools

Target Audience: Parents of school­aged children

Availability: Bookstores

Cost: $12.95

School Safety Workbook

The School Safety Workbook highlights prevention

models that show promise toward stemming the

rising tide of school crime and violence. The

featured programs can be used as a starting point

for developing effective programs tailored to each

school, student population and community. The 100

school and community based programs target

conflict resolution, gang prevention, social

responsibility, substance abuse prevention, and

truancy reduction. It also includes contact

information for national violence prevention

resources and organizations.

Year: 1998

Format: Book

Length: 142 pages

Topic: School safety

Target Audience: School officials

Availability: National School Safety Center, 141

Duesenberg Drive, Suite 11, Westlake Village, CA

91362; 805­373­9977;http://www.nssc1.org

Cost: $20

Violence in American Schools: A

New Perspective

In this volume, experts review the latest research

on the causes of youth violence in the Nation's

schools and on school­based interventions that have

prevented or re­duced it. They describe and

evaluate strategies for preventing and treating

violence that go beyond punishment and

incarceration. The volume offers a new strategy for

tackling youth violence, arguing that the most

effective interventions use a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach and take into account

differences in stages of individual development and

involvement in overlapping social contexts.
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Editor: Elliott, D.; Hamburg, B.; and Williams, K.

Year: 1998.

Format: Paperback book.

Length: 400 pages.

Topic: Understanding and preventing violence in

schools.

Target Audience: Educators, school officials, public

policy makers, general audience.

Availability: Bookstores or Cambridge University

Press, 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011­

4211; 212­924­3900;http://www.cup.org.

Cost: $19.95

School Violence Intervention: A

Practical Handbook

This book provides effective intervention strategies

for managing school violence. Opening with

perspectives on student aggression from different

school practitioners, this resource presents

practical interventions at the student, school, and

system levels. Strategies are presented for a wide

array of situations and contexts, enabling the work

to be applied to almost any school setting.

Author: Goldstein, A.; and Conoley, J.

Year: 1997

Format: Book

Length: 495 pages and default

Topic: Preventing violence in schools

Target Audience: Teachers, school administrators,

parents

Availability: Bookstores or contact Guilford

Publications, 72 Spring Street, New York, NY

10012; 800­365­7006;http://www.guilford.com

Cost: $55

Schools, Violence, and Society

This book is designed to examine issues related to

schools, violence, and society. Since the 1960s,

crime and violence have been increasing in

America's schools. This violence is not limited to

inner city schools, but has struck virtually every

strata and socio­economic level of American culture

and society. This volume reviews violence in

society, school violence, and crime. Coverage

includes past trends in school violence and the

current extent of the problem, as well as aspects of

its causes and prevention. The influence (on the

students and community) of gang activity, gang

related issues, drugs, alcohol, and weapons on

campus is discussed.

Author: Hoffman, A.

Year: 1996

Format: Book

Length: 376

Topic: Relationship between schools and violence

Target Audience: General audience

Availability: Bookstores or contact Greenwood

Publishing Group, 88 Post West Road, Westport, CT

06881; 203­226­3571; http://www.greenwood.com
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Cost: $26.95

Antisocial Behavior at School:

Strategies and Best Practices

This indispensable resource describes the "best

practices" for coping with antisocial behavior

patterns among children and youth in school.

Designed to enhance educators' understanding of

the nature, origins, and causes of antisocial

behavior, this book offers interventions and model

programs that can be used in preventing or

remediating this growing problem in the schools.

Author: Colvin, G; Ramsey, E.; and RamseyWalker, H.

Year: 1995

Format: Book

Length: 420 pages

Topic: Unacceptable student behavior in schools

Target Audience: Teachers, school administrators,

parents

Availability: Bookstores or contact Brooks/Cole

Publishing, 511 Forest Lodge Road, Pacific Grove,

CA 93950; 800­354­9706;

Cost: $61

Booklets, Brochures, Fact

Sheets, and Reports

The School Shootings and

Beyond: Kids and Guns in

America violence in America

This fact sheet gives information about the

epidemic of school.

Year: 2000

Format: Fact sheet

Length: 1 page

Topic: School violence

Target Audience:

Availability: Handgun Control and the Center to

Prevent Handgun Violence, 1225 I Street NW., Suite

1100, Washington, DC 20005; 202­898­0792;

Cost: Free

Warning Signs

In an attempt to proactively address the problem of

violence, Music Television (MTV) and the American

Psychological Association created the program

Warning Signs. Originally created in conjunction

with a special program aired on MTV, this guide

continues to stand alone as an excellent reference
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concerning the warning signs of violence. It gives

overviews of many different aspects of violence

prevention, including violence against self, dealing

with anger, and reasons for violence.

Organization: American Psychological Association

and MTV

Year: 1999

Format: Guide

Length: 9 pages

Topic: Recognizing problem behaviors in teens

Target Audience: Parents, teachers, community

leaders, prevention program planners

Availability: American Psychological Association

Help Center,http://helping.apa.org

Cost: Free

Annual Report on School Safety

The Annual Report on School Safety provides

parents, schools, and the community with an

overview of school crime, and describes actions

schools and communities can take to address this

critical issue. Steps for developing and

implementing a comprehensive school safety plan

are described. The report profiles programs that

include school security, education in violence

prevention, counseling, and special student

services.

Year: 1998

Format: Report

Length: 48 pages

Topic: School safety

Target Audience: Community leaders, teachers,

parents, school administrators

Availability: Department of Education, 400 Maryland

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202, 800­

USALEARN, http://www.ed.gov

Cost: Free

Back to School 1998­National

Survey of American Attitudes on

Substance Abuse IV: Teens,

Teachers, and Principals

For the fourth straight year, responding to an openended question, more 12­ to 17­year­olds named

drugs the most important problem they face, over

social pressures, violence, crime, or any other

issue. One of a continuing series, this survey of

teens, teachers, and principals is an attempt to

increase understanding of the causes and ef­fects

of substance abuse. A foreword by Joseph A.

Califano, Jr., highlights important issues and

suggests approaches to solutions. Key findings are

listed, and an overview provides a preview of the

findings of the survey.
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Author: Booth, A.; and Califano, J.

Year: 1998

Format: Report

Length: 100 pages

Topic: Youth and substance abuse

Target Audience: Parents, teachers, general

audience

Availability: National Center on Addiction and

Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 152 West

57th St., New York, NY 10019­3310;

http://www.casacolumbia.org

Cost: $22

NEA Action Sheet: Safe Schools

In this publication, the National Education

Association discusses the causes of and ways to

prevent school violence.

Year: 1998

Format: Action sheet

Length: 4 pages

Topic: School violence

Target Audience: School officials

Availability: National Education Association, 1201

16th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20036; 202­833­

4000; http://www.nea.org Cost: Free

Early Warning, Timely Response:

A Guide to Safe Schools

This guide contains early warning signs that can

help adults identify and reach out to troubled

children quickly and effectively to reduce the

likelihood of school violence. The guide is issued

jointly by the U.S. Department of Education and the

U.S. Department of Justice. It is also available in

Spanish.

Organization: U.S. Department of Education

Year: 1998

Format: Report

Length: 40 pages

Topic: Warning signs of troubled children

Target Audience: Parents, teachers, school

administrators, other concerned adults

Availability: U.S. Department of Education, 400

Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC, 20202;

800­USALEARN; http://www.ed.gov

Cost: Free

High School Youths, Weapons,

and Violence: A National Survey

Using a 1996 survey of male 10th and 11th graders
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from 53 high schools nationwide, this study

examined the firearms experience of these youths.

The number of respondents who carried or

possessed a gun was relatively low compared with

previous studies; 29 percent possessed at least one

firearm, and 6 percent had carried a gun outside

the home. Gun possession levels were highest for

firearms more suited to hunting and sporting uses.

Recreational gun use, more common in rural and

smaller communities, was related to gun­carrying

and possession levels of every type of firearm.

Gun­carrying and possession were more prevalent

in smaller communities; however, once the recreational gun use variable was held constant, gun

possession among respondents declined. Fifty

percent of the juveniles surveyed believed that they

could obtain firearms relatively easily. Family and

friends were the primary sources of guns. Criminal

behavior characterized only a small number of the

respondents. A few juveniles reported that they

carried weapons to gain respect from their peers,

but for the majority of respondents, the primary

reason for carrying or possessing firearms was

protection, not criminal activity or status

enhancement. The majority of school

administrators recalled incidents that involved guns

on school grounds in the past 3 years, but only two

percent considered guns a serious problem on

school grounds.

Author: Sheley, J.; Wright, J.

Year: 1998

Format: Report

Length: 8 pages

Topic: Youth and firearms

Target Audience: Community leaders, prevention

program planners

Availability: National Criminal Justice Research

Service, P.O. Box 6000, Rockville, MD 20849­6000;

800­851­3420; http://www.ncjrs.org

Also available online at

http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles/172857.pdf

Cost: Free

Safe Schools, Safe Students: A

Guide to Violence Prevention

Strategies

This guide offers a systematic approach to violence

prevention in schools. It is designed to assist school

officials in choosing prevention strategies that will

best meet the specific needs of their students.

Based on a comprehensive review of the prevention

literature on violence, juvenile delinquency, and

substance abuse, it also incorporates interviews

with 15 violence prevention experts. The guide

provides an assessment of comprehensive health

programs, programs designed for the K­12

environment, and peer mediation programs.

Year: 1998

Format: Booklet

Length: 56 pages

Topic: Preventing violence in schools

Target Audience: Parents, teachers, and school

administrators
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Availability: Drug Strategies, 1575 I Street, Suite

210, Washington, DC 20005; 202­289­9070;

http://www.ndsn.org/ Cost: Free

Hate­Motivated Behavior in

Schools­Response Strategies for

School Boards, Administrators,

Law Enforcement, and

Communities

Schools are not immune to acts of hate violence

that threaten the collaborative spirit needed to build

understanding among California's many cultures,

races, and religions. This resource guide is

designed to be used by school district

administrators, school boards, law enforcement

agencies, and community­based organizations to

promote discussion, planning, immediate action,

and effective long­term responses to hatemotivated incidents on campus. Schools and

districts can use this guide to examine their

existing programs and policies and to develop

effective procedures for dealing with hatemotivated behavior and crime.

Organization: California Department of Education

Year: 1997

Format: Booklet

Length: 32 pages

Topic: Violence in schools

Target Audience: Education professionals,

counselors, parents, and general public

Availability: California Department of Education,

721 Capitol Mall, Sacramento, CA 95814; 916­657­

2451

Cost: $10

Solutions for Youth Violence for

Schools and Communities

This booklet teaches concerned adults to reduce

youth violence in family, school, and community

environments. This valuable resource provides

information on causes, risk indicators, and

increases in different types of violence, including

the roles that alcohol and drug use play.

Year: 1997

Format: Booklet

Length: 48 pages

Topic: Violence prevention

Target Audience: General audience

Availability: WRS Group, P.O. Box 21207, Waco, TX

76702­1207; 800­299­3366;http://www.wrsgroup.com

Cost: $5.95
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Magazines and Newsletters

Challenge: Creating Safe and

Drug Free Schools

This online newsletter is dedicated to making every

school in America safe and drug free.

Year: Posted monthly

Format: Electronic newsletter

Length: Varies

Topic: Safe and drug­free schools Target Audience:

Parents, teachers, school administrators

Availability: American Council for Drug Education,

164 W. 74th Street, New York, NY 10023;

http://www.acde.org

Cost: Free

SafetyZone Newsletter

This newsletter is a quarterly publication of the

National Resource Center for Safe Schools. It

includes updates on Center projects, workshops,

planning tools, publications, and relevant coverage

of national events.

Year: Published quarterly

Format: Newsletter

Length: Varies

Topic: Safety in schools

Target Audience: Teachers and school

administrators

Availability: E­mail safetyzoneeditor@nwrel.org, or

contact the National Resource Center for Safe

Schools, 101 SW. Main, Portland, OR 97204; 800­

268­2275;

Cost: Free

School Safety News Service

This publication offers in­depth coverage on topical

issues related to school safety including background

information, research, and model programs. Also

included are prevention strategies related to

violence prevention, crime management, gangs,

attendance, discipline, schoolyard bullying, highrisk youth, and other concerns vital to the safety of

all school children. Along with the nine issues of the

magazine, the subscription price includes a School

Safety Yearbook, published in the summer. It

highlights the year's trends and issues in the field

of school crime and violence prevention.

Year: Published 9 months a year

Format: News journal

Length: Varies

Topic: Issues related to school safety

Target Audience: School officials, teachers
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Availability: National School Safety Center, 141

Duesenberg Drive, Suite 11, Westlake Village, CA

91362; http://www.nssc1.org; 805­373­9977

Cost: $99

Classroom Materials and Kits

Steps to Prevent Firearm Injury,

STOP II

This education program is designed for all health

care providers from a wide range of disciplines

(nurses, social workers, psychologists, health

educators, counselors, etc.) who work with diverse

populations. In the United States, nearly 100 people

die in shootings everyday. Health providers, natural

messengers of safety and health information, have

the daily opportunity to speak with patients/clients

and their families about guns. Materials in the kit

include ways to counsel pa­tients/clients about the

dangers of guns in the home.

Year: 2000

Format: Kit

Length: Several materials

Topic: Gun safety

Target Audience: Health care providers

Availability: Center to Prevent Handgun ViolenceEducation Program, 1225 I Street, NW., Suite 1100,

Washington, DC 20005; 202­289­7319;

Cost: Free to health care providers

Ready­to­Use Violence

Prevention Skills, Lessons, and

Activities for Elementary

Students

This book contains a series of worksheets and

answer keys developed with appropriate messages

for elementary school teachers and their students.

Examples of topics covered include: understanding

rules, bad habits, avoiding bullys, learning that

actions have consequences, and help recognizing

drugs.

Editor: Begun, R.; Huml, F.; and Huppuch, W.

Organization: Center for the Applied Research in

Education

Year: 1999

Format: Activity book

Length: 256 pages

Topic: Preventing violence in schools

Target Audience: Elementary school teachers

Availability: Bookstores

Cost: $27.95
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W.A.R.N. ­­ Weapons Are

Removed Now

This complete implementation program is designed

to reduce violence and weapons in schools. It

features an introductory videotape explaining how

to start a W.A.R.N. program; four posters that

encourage students to "break the code of silence";

and a detailed handbook, all contained in a

convenient three­ring binder. The video features

interviews and performances by actual W.A.R.N.

members and gives hard facts about violence. The

handbook includes guidelines for creating a

W.A.R.N. program; student training materials;

program announcements; letters to parents to

encourage cooperation; and an anti­violence

contract to be signed by the principal, parents, and

students. The posters are a constant daily reminder

of each student's obligation to reporting weapons

on campus.

Year: 1994

Format: Kit

Length: 1 video (8 minutes), 1 handbook, 4 posters

Topic: Removing weapons from schools

Target Audience: School administrators, teachers,

parents

Availability: Syndistar, 5801 River Road, New

Orleans, LA 70123; 800­841­9532;

Cost: $95

Videos, Posters, and Other

Items

Clarence and Guns

Clarence is a teenager who needs help getting

safely through his day. In this interactive computer

game, users make decisions and guide Clarence

through a seemingly normal day. However, in each

situation, Clarence comes into contact with a gun at

school, at soccer practice, and hanging out at his

friend's house. At each turn, the game reiterates

that the correct decision for children is to never

touch a gun and tell an adult immediately when

they see one.

Year: 2000

Format: Interactive computer game

Topic: Gun safety

Target Audience: Teenagers

Availability: Available on the Center to Prevent

Handgun Violence Web site at http://www.cphv.org/

game/default_0.aspx

Cost: Free

NEA Safe Schools Now Network
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This set of videos from the National Education

Association provides steps detailing how to create

safe schools. The videos are titled Reasons for

Hope, Episode 1; Building a Safe and Responsive

School Climate, Episode 2; Early Signs of Distress,

Episode 3; Forging Community Alliances, Episode 4.

Each one tells the story of individual communities

(including Littleton, Colorado), how they created

safe schools, and describes the actions necessary

to recreate those successes in other schools.

Organization: National Education Association

Year: 2000

Format: Video

Length: 43 minutes (each)

Topic: Creating safe schools

Target Audience: Educators, community leaders,

parents

Availability: National Education Association, 1201

16th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20036; 202­833­

4000; http://www.nea.org

Cost: $19.95 (each)

Slaughter at Schools

This video examines the spate of recently

publicized school shootings with the help of experts

like psychiatrist Diane Schetky, school officials, and

the reporters who covered the stories. It also

includes interviews with witnesses of the violence,

and a debate about what can be done to prevent

future acts of violence.

Year: 1999

Format: Video

Length: 50 minutes

Topic: School­based violence prevention

Target Audience: General audience

Availability: Library Video Company, 7 East

Wynnewood Road, Wynnewood, PA 19096; 800­843­

3620; http://www.libraryvideo.com

Cost: $19.95

School Crisis: Under Control

This video combines news footage of school crises

with insights and reco­mmendations from school

officials who have dealt firsthand with violent

tragedies on their campuses. They cover topics

such as outlining staff roles and responsibilities,

dealing with the media, providing adequate

communication systems and signals, arranging

transportation and offering grief counseling.

Year: 1991

Format: Video

Length: 25 minutes

Topic: School violence

Target Audience: School officials

Availability: National School Safety Center, 141

Duesenberg Drive, Suite 11, Westlake Village, CA
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91362; 805­373­9977; http://www.nssc1.org

Cost: $75

Weapons in Our Schools:

Examining the Problem

An investigative look at why young people carry

weapons and what schools can do about the

problem.

Year: 1996

Format: Video

Length: 19 minutes

Topic: Weapons in schools

Target Audience: Parents, teachers, students, other

concerned adults

Availability: Syndistar, 5801 River Road, New

Orleans, LA 70123; 800­841­9532;

Cost: $79.95

Studies and Articles

Predicting the Fear of Assault at School and

While Going to and from School in an

Adolescent Population

Alvarez, A.; Bachman, R.

Violence & Victims: 12(1): 69­86, 1998

Recent research investigating the fear of crime has

shown that when crime­ and behavior­specific

measures of fear are used, the young are more

fearful than the elderly. Research investigating the

etiology of fear within adolescent populations,

however, remains very limited. Using a sample of

more than 10,000 junior high and high school

students from a supplement to the National Crime

Victimization Survey, this paper examines the

factors contributing to students' fear of assault both

at school and while going to and from school.

Results indicate that recent victimization

experiences, the presence of a violent subculture at

the school (e.g., gang presence and attacks on

teachers), and availability of drugs or alcohol were

related to fear in both contexts. The predictability

of fear from individual characteristics, however,

was context­specific. Contrary to findings from

earlier research, the authors found that young

females were not more fearful than their male

counterparts in all contexts. While they were more

fearful of an attack while going to and from school,

there were no differences in fear levels while at

school between males and females after controlling

for other environmental and experiential factors.

Conclusions largely support the contention that fear

is a rational calculation based on objective criteria.

Predictive Model of Weapon Carrying Among

Urban High School Students: Results and

Validation

Griffith, J.; Kulig, J.; Ruthazer, R.; Valentine, J.

Journal of Adolescent Health: 22(4): 312­319, 1998
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Thisstudy identifiedthebehavioral,psychosocial,

anddemographicpredictorsofself­reported

weapon­carryingamongstudents intwourban

publichighschools. Itassessedweapon­carrying;

demographicprofile;psychosocial status;30­day

useofalcohol,tobacco,andothersubstances; interpersonal violence; sexual behavior; and s

chool involvement among 487 students in the first high school and 702 students in the second high school. A predictive model was developed in the first high school, which was tested in the second high school. Results from the model­building and validation showed that (1) weapon carrying is associated with multiple and interrelated factors which include demographic, psychosocial, behavioral, and school­ related characteristics of high school age adolescents; (2) students with more risk factors are more likely to carry a weapon, suggesting that the variables are independent markers; and (3) marijuana use and sexual experience are both highly predictive of weapon­carrying. Schools are Vulnerable to Cultures of Violence Collier, M.W. School Safety (Winter): 9­13, 1998 This article summarizes a 1997 study of school violence at four public high schools in Miami­Dade County. Crime statistics, interviews with Miami­ Dade police, and student focus groups show that in three of the four schools the surrounding neighborhoods were extremely violent and crime ridden. The same three schools also had high levels of school violence. On the basis of evidence on high levels of school violence and the presence of discourses of denial, noncaring atmospheres, and remiss security forces, the study determined the three high schools to have strong school cultures of violence. This article concludes that by confronting the key factors that contribute to creating school cultures of violence and combining these actions with strategies related to improving school security and student intervention programs, school officials may yet eliminate school violence and associated student fear. Vulnerability to Victimization, Concurrent Problem Behaviors, and Peer Influence as Predictors of In­School Weapon Carrying Among High School Students Simon, T.; Dent, C.; and Sussman, S. Violence and Victims: 12(3): 277­289, 1998 Data on 504 students from seven high schools in southern California were used to study the relationship between weapon­carrying and general juvenile delinquency, self­protection, and social influence. The data revealed that 25 percent of the students carried a weapon to school in the past year. Self­defense was the most commonly reported reason for in­school weapon carrying. Results from a simultaneous logistic regression analysis indicated increased risk of in­school weapon carrying among students who were male, who were affiliated with gangs or tagging crews, who were exposed to peers who carried weapons to school, and who felt vulnerable to being victimized. Findings indicated that prevention programs targeted at reducing in­school weapon carrying may benefit from a comprehensive focus that includes efforts to reduce involvement in other problem behaviors, influence norms regarding weapon carrying, and reduce actual and perceived
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vulnerability to victimization.

The Association of Weapon Carrying and

Fighting on School Property and Other Health

Risk and Problem Behaviors Among High

School Students

DuRant, R.; Kahn, J.; Beckford, P.; and Woods, E.

Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine:

151(4): 360­366, 1997

This study examines the association between

weapon carrying on school property and engaging

in health risk and problem behaviors such as

fighting and substance use on school property, fear

of attending school, and victimization at school. It

used a complex two­stage probability survey (the

Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey) and a

sample of 3,054 Massachusetts high school

students. The prevalence of self­reported weaponcarrying on school property was 15 percent among

male students and 5 percent among female

students.

Profile of Rural Texas Adolescents Who Carry

Handguns to School

Heuberger, G.; Kingery, P.; Pruitt, B.E.

Journal of School Health: 66(1): 18­22, 1997

Students in randomly selected 8th and 10th grade

English classrooms in central Texas schools were

surveyed in fall 1994 about carrying weapons to

school and associated risk factors. Students who

carried a handgun to school one or more times

during the preceding 12 months were compared

with those who had not done so, using discriminant

analysis and chisquare. Gun­carrying at school

increased 138 percent from 7 years earlier in the

same area using the same survey procedures. Most

students reported they carried a gun out of fear or

anger. Those who carried a gun at school had

extremely elevated rates of repeated victimization

during the previous year. They also were more

likely to enter dangerous situations repeatedly,

were 17 times more likely to have used crack

cocaine, had less instruction on preventing

violence, had less knowledge about means of

avoiding fighting, and felt an obligation to fight

under a wider variety of situations. Researchers

concluded that efforts at prevention of handgun

violence in schools should increase the safety of a

select group of vulnerable students, while providing

psychological counseling to assist them in

overcoming emotional effects of victimization as

part of larger violence prevention efforts.

Response of African­American Adolescents in

North Carolina to Gun Carrying by School

Mates

Cotten, N.; Martin, S.; McCarraher, D.; and

Sadowski, L.

Journal of School Health: 66(1): 23­26, 1997

This study examined adolescents' perceptions about

the presence of guns in their school and the

adolescents' emotional and behavioral responses

associated with these perceptions. Survey data

from 376 African­American 6th, 7th, and 8th grade

students of a low­income area of a North Carolina

city were studied. Twenty­eight percent reported

that other students brought guns to school, 36

percent felt afraid that someone would hurt or

attack them while at school, 15 percent avoided

school (or places in school) because of fear that a
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student would hurt or attack them, and 20 percent

carried weapons to school for self­protection.

Logistic regression analyses found that, compared

with their peers, adolescents who perceived that

their schoolmates brought guns to school were

almost twice as likely to experience fear while at

school, were more than three times more likely to

exhibit school avoidance behavior, and were more

than twice as likely to bring a weapon to school

themselves for self­protection. Educators and

school health professionals are urged to work

together to address these problems concerning

school safety.

School Violence: Prevalence and Intervention

Strategies for At­Risk Adolescents

Cirillo, K.J.

Adolescence: 33(130): 318­390, 1997

This study investigated the effects of social

cognitive group intervention on violence avoidance

beliefs among at­risk adolescents. Fifty high school

students were randomly assigned to an

experimental or a control group. The experimental

group participated in 10, 2­hour weekly sessions of

a social cognitive intervention. Both groups were

administered a questionnaire before, immediately

following, and 3 months after the intervention.

Findings showed that the social cognitive

intervention did not result in significant differences

between the groups on violence avoidance beliefs

at posttest or follow­up. In addition, drug/alcohol

users and nonusers, fighters and nonfighters, and

students threatened at school and those not

threatened were compared. Students who used

drugs/alcohol and fought in school had significantly

lower scores (such as, a greater belief in using

violence as a coping technique) than did students

who did not engage in those behaviors.

Carrying and Using Weapons: A Survey of

Minority Junior High School Students in New

York City

Armstrong, B.; McCarthy, J.; Tiezzi, L.; Vaughan,

R.; Walter, H.; and Waterman, P.

American Journal of Public Health: 86(4): 568­572,

1996

The purpose of this study was to explore weapon

carrying among young, inner city adolescents. A

survey was administered in fall 1993 to 2,005

predominantly Hispanic students (mean age=12.8

years) in three New York City junior high schools.

The survey revealed that 21 percent of students

reported personally carrying a weapon, and guns

and knives were the weapons most commonly

carried. Most of those who carried guns reported

that they bought them. Forty­two percent said they

had a family member or a close friend who had

been shot. Boys and older students were more

likely to report carrying weapons. Preventive

efforts may need to begin before or on entry into

junior high school rather than high school.

Characteristics of Students Who Bring

Weapons to School

Bailey, S.; Flewelling, R.; and Rosenbaum, D.

Journal of Adolescent Health: 20(4): 261­270, 1996

This study explores the relationships among social,

demographic, behavioral characteristics, and selfreported carrying of a weapon to school among

middle school students. The results provide a
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statistical profileofyouthmost likelytobring

weaponstoschool andhelpto identify

characteristicsthatarerelatedtothisbehavior. Study respondents were part of an ongoing randomized evaluation of a school­based drug u

se

preventionprogram inIllinois. Self­administered

questionnaireswerecompletedby1,5037thand

8thgraders inspring1992. Fifteenpercentof

respondentshadbroughtsometypeofweaponto

school inthepastmonth. Inamultivariate logistic

regressionmodel,beingmale,not livingwithboth

parents,notfeelingclosetoparents,drinking

heavily,participating infights,damagingschool property, and perceiving that at least a few othe

r

studentsbroughtweaponstoschool were

significantlyassociatedwithweaponcarrying. Victimization and fear for safety in school wer

enot

significantlyassociatedwithweaponcarrying inthe

multivariatemodel. Studyresultssuggestthatboth

thestructureandthedynamicsofthefamilyplay

an importantrole inweaponcarryingbehavior. Weapon carrying also appears to cluster with o

ther

deviantbehaviors. Furthermore,thefindings

suggestthatweaponsarenotbroughttoschool because of a heightened need for protection, bu

t

rather inresponsetonormative influences in

school. Gang B

ehaviorintheSchools:Realityor

Myth?

Parks,C.P. Educationa

lPsychologyReview: 7(1): 41­68,1996

Thisstudyexaminesgangbehavior inschoolsand

providesagangprofile. Itdiscussescurrenttrends in school­related gang behavior and describes reasons for gang membership and school gang violence; causes include school, family, community

,

andriskfactorssuchasageandsocioeconomic

status. Strategiesforaddressingschoolrelated

gangbehaviorareconsidered, including(1)

predisposing,enabling,andreinforcingstrategies

and(2)collaborative/interdisciplinaryefforts. Illicit Substance Use, Gender, and the Ri

skof

ViolentBehaviorAmongAdolescents

Auinger,P.;Byrd,R.;Dukarm,C.;andWeitzman,

M. Ar

chivesofPediatrics&AdolescentMedicine: 150(8): 797­801, 1996 Using cross­sectional analyses of the 1991 Ce

nters

forDiseaseControl andPrevention'sYouthRisk

BehaviorSurvey(datafrompublicandprivate

schools inthe50States),thisstudy investigates

therelationshipbetweensubstanceuseandviolent

behavioramong12,272highschool students. The

focuswasontheprevalenceofweaponcarrying

andphysicalfightingamongmaleandfemale

adolescents. Asignificant increase inthenumberof

maleandfemaleadolescentscarryingweaponsand

physicallyfightingwasassociatedwithall formsof

substanceuse. Reportsofcarryingaweapon increased with recent alcohol consumption, u

seof

marijuana,cocaine,andanabolicsteroids. The

prevalenceofphysical fightingwasalso

significantlyhigheramongadolescentswhoused illicit substances than among adolescents who denied drug use. The risk of violent behavior increased significantly, and was of equal magnitude, for adolescent females and males wh

o

were illicitsubstanceusers. Alcohol and illicit

substanceusearehighlyassociatedwithan increased risk of violent behavior.
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School­Associated Violent Deaths in the

United States, 1992 to 1994

Lowry, R.; Kachur, S.; Kresnow, M.; et al.

Journal of the American Medical Association:

275(22): 1729­1733, 1994

This study is the first nationwide investigation of

violent deaths associated with schools in the United

States in order to quantify the risk of schoolassociated violent death and to identify

epidemiologic features of these deaths. Using

descriptive case series drawing upon police reports,

medical examiners' records, interviews with police

and school officials from the United States, and two

online news data bases, study collaborators

identified 105 school­associated violent deaths from

July 1, 1992 through June 30, 1994. The estimated

incidence of school­associated violent death was

0.09 per 100,000 students. Students in secondary

schools, students of minority racial and ethnic

backgrounds, and students in urban school districts

had higher levels of risk. Homicide was the

predominant cause of death, and firearms were

responsible for a majority of the deaths. Most

victims were students. Both victims and offenders

tended to be young and male. The study found that

school­associated violent deaths were more

common than previously estimated.

Organizations and Internet

Sites

American Federation of Teachers

555 New Jersey Avenue, NW.

Washington, DC 20001

202­879­4400

http://www.aft.org

American Psychological Association Help

Center

http://helping.apa.org

Center for Substance Abuse Prevention

5600 Fishers Lane, Rockwall II

Rockville, MD 20857

301­443­0365

http://www.samhsa.gov/csap

Center for the Prevention of School Violence

20 Enterprise Street, Suite 2

Raleigh, NC 27607

800­299­6054

http://www.ncstate.edu/cpsv

Center for the Study and Prevention of

Violence

Campus Box 442

Boulder, CO 80309

303­492­8465

http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/

Decision Support System for Prevention of

Substance Abuse

http://www.preventiondss.org

Handgun Control, Inc., and the Center to

Prevent Handgun Violence

1225 I Street, NW. Suite 1100

Washington, DC 20005
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202­898­0792

Join Together (Gun Violence Project)

441 Stuart Street

Boston, MA 02116

617­437­1500

http://www.jointogether.org/gv

Knowledge Exchange Network (KEN)

11426 Rockville Pike, Suite 405

Rockville, MD 20852

800­789­2647

http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov

National Alliance for Safe Schools

P.O. Box 290

Slanesville, WV 25444­0290

304­496­8100

http://www.safeschools.org

National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug

Information

P.O. Box 2345

Rockville, MD 20847

800­729­6686

http://ncadi.samhsa.gov

National Education Association

1201 16th Street, NW.

Washington, DC 20036

202­833­4000

http://www.nea.org

National Resource Center for Safe Schools

101 SW. Main, Suite 500

Portland, OR 97204

800­268­2275

National School Safety Center

141 Duesenberg Drive, Suite 11

Westlake Village, CA 91362

805­373­9977

http://www.nssc1.org

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)

330 N. Wabash Avenue, Suite 2100

Chicago, IL 60611

800­307­4782

http://www.pta.org/

Partnerships Against Violence Network

http://www.pavnet.org

Partnership for a Drug­Free America

405 Lexington Ave.

New York, NY 10174

212­922­1560

http://www.drugfreeamerica.org

Safe Schools/Healthy Students Action Center

1021 Prince Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

877­339­7747

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

Administration

Room 12­105, Parklawn Building

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

301­443­4795

http://www.samhsa.gov

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW.

Washington, DC 20202
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800­USA­LEARN

http://www.ed.gov

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