Causes of Violence in Schools

This spate of killings has struck horror in the hearts of everyone who has heard of them from students, to parents, to school faculty, to the government. The problem seemed so pervasive, Clinton mandated a study to determine the extent of the epidemic, the possible causes, and what might be done to abate the violence. More research must be completed, but it is obvious that no single solution exists for all schools. A specific, comprehensive approach must be taken, involving students and the community. Parental involvement must be increased and outlets must be found for students to express their anger and frustration. Other policies such as metal detectors and uniforms may be instituted to assist the efforts of a larger program, but used alone these methods are likely to be found ineffective.

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havior. This behavior can act out in a number of ways. Gangs provide an outlet for violent behavior and retaliatory action. The incidence of gangs in schools has increased. Between 1989 and 1995, the presence of gangs increased in central cities from 24.8% to 40.7%, in suburbs from 14% to 26.3%, and in non-metro areas from 7.8% to 19.9% (Greene 18). In 1995, 7.5% of students who reported gangs in school claimed they had been the victim of a crime, while just 2.7% made the same claim in schools where no gangs were reported (Greene 18). Despite the increasing prevalence of gangs, however, they are not typically a rural problem. The prevalence of guns, though, is problematic everywhere. Jeff Butts, an expert on youth violence at the Urban Institute, is quoted by Cannon as saying, "There have always been kids who were willing to lose control and to be hurtful and cruel. That is the nature of adolescence. You don't think about other people's feelings. The difference is when we were kids it was harder to find a weapon" (n.p.). The fact that firearms are easier to locate is evidenced by the many statistics supporting the popularity of guns among students: Tulane researchers found in a 1992 study that 27% of high schoolers had
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Approximate Word count = 1792
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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