Both research and common sense tell us that many of the problems in today's schools originate in the fundamental desire of individuals to belong to a group. School violence attests to this unstoppable drive to belong. Success begins by giving students a reason to behave appropriately by giving them, first, the experience of belonging and contributing to a positive peer group dedicated to a mutually agreed-upon project and, second, the experience of both positive and negative consequences of the peer group's actions.
Many schools provide programs for alienated, disengaged, and at-risk students.
Among them are programs developed by PSI Associates, a private consortium of psychologists, educators, and prevention specialists. Programs at PSI target different age groups and various aspects of motivation and skill training and have been shown by research to be successful. Another program, Positive Peer Groups, has disengaged middle school and high school students work alongside successful students on high-profile service projects. A third program, Teens Resisting Violence, focuses on violence prevention by giving students a better understanding of the impact of violence and better ways to manage their own anger and that of their peers. It came as a shock when Green County, Wis., adults heard the results of a survey of student attitudes.