The typical victim of an attack or robbery at school is a male in the seventh grade who is assaulted by a boy his own age. Studies suggest two reasons for the higher rates of middle school violence. First, early adolescence is a difficult age. Young teenagers are often physically hyperactive and have not learned acceptable social behavior. Second, many middle school students have come into contact for the first time with young people from different backgrounds and distant neighborhoods.
Urban schools suffer most from violence.
Many of these schools serve neighborhoods troubled by violence and gang-related crime. It is not surprising that these problems find their way onto campus. But a study of 700 communities conducted by the National League of Cities revealed that 30 percent of suburban and rural schools also reported an increase in violence over a five-year period. In another survey conducted by the Children s Institute International, almost 50 percent of all teenagers rural, suburban, and urban believe that their school is becoming more violent. Educators and school boards across the nation are trying various measures to improve school safety.