This paper describes both publications, providing comparisons between the surveys on which the two publications are based and discussions of the findings. The two reports, with three more to follow in the next months, serve as precursors to a national report President Clinton has requested on the overall state of school safety. There are many different ways information about school safety, crime, and violence might be collected.
Respondents can be teachers, principals, law enforcement agencies, and students.
Information can be collected about the overall perception of the safety of the school, or about incidents of specific types of crimes, or about specific victimization of individuals. Each of these data collection methods has its strengths and weaknesses. The incidents to be reported were those that had been reported to police or other law enforcement representatives. The students were asked in January through June about crimes occurring in the school building, on school grounds or, on a school bus, during the six months preceding the interview. Students had to have attended school at some point during that time.