SCHOOL VIOLENCE and Some Causes

This paper will discuss the adverse effects of school violence and will also examine some of the causes of the recent rise of violent incidents in American schools. The discussion will include an analysis of the problems created by the use of handguns at school, the role the family can play in fostering or preventing school violence, and the correlation between school violence and other social problems. The paper will also outline some of the new programs which officials, teachers and parents suggest schools should implement to prevent and counter the horrible problems created by school violence. Finally, this paper will show that school violence should be addressed by parents as well as schools and communities.

Violence in America now kills one million people each year, and young people have become the number one victims of violence. At a recent forum on youth violence U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley pointed out an alarming increase in school violence in America. Violence in the school environment is detrimental to learning, and it affects the scholastic achievement of America's youth; it also affects the students, parents and teachers who witness the violence ("Violence", 1993, p. 96E).

Others also agree that school violence impedes school reform and academic achievement. One 1994 nationwide poll which was commissioned by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and conducted by Lou Harris and Associates revealed that not only does sch

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idents of school violence which are committed by both elementary and high school students is causing great concern among authorities. Among the reasons cited for commission of violent acts are the lack of parental guidance, the mass media's promotion of destructive attitudes, and lax school administration policies on discipline. Many public school have now adapted special high-tech security measures to combat school violence, such as electronic metal detectors. Other schools have focused more on old-fashioned remedies such as promulgating stricter disciplinary or other programs which are intended to develop greater human relations skills among teen and pre-teen students ("Issues", 992, p. 787). Yet other schools focus on counseling students and talking to the student body about the often horrific consequences of school violence. For instance, after experiencing two gruesome shooting incidents that killed three students in Brooklyn, New York, one school principal, Carol Beck, became much tougher on violent students. Beck also began emphasizing the message that the students must continue to hope that the violence will end and to take a more proactive stance toward preventing violent incidents at school (Grogan, 1992, p. 111)

Category: Psychology - S