School violence is a frightening phenomenon that concerns parents, educators, students, law enforcement personnel, and policymakers at all levels of government. While there is some evidence suggesting that the actual level and rate of school-based or centered violence is declining in the United States, even a "little violence" is "too much." The purpose of this report is to examine the incidence and causes of school violence as well as the recommendations for preventing and intervening in cases of violence that have been forthcoming. It will be argued that controlling violence on campus is a necessary precondition for ensuring that American school students will have maximum opportunities to learn and to advance academically.
Mike Kennedy (1) has stated that "the most critical role for schools and universities is to provide a setting conducive to learning." Unfortunately, the American school system has become the center of a wave of violence that ranges from the slaughter at Colorado's Columbine High School to gang fights in inner city schools to bullying. Kennedy (1) reported that in 1992, violent crime victimization rates for students aged 12 to 18 years old were 48 incidents per 1,000 students, a figure that declined to 28 incidents per 1,000 students in 2001. Though this represents a promising trend, school violence remains a priority item on the agendas of many educators and policymakers in the United States.
Overall, there does appear to be a decrease in the level and rate of violence occurring in the nation's schools. Vanessa St. Gerard (23) has stated that between 1995 and 2001, the percentage of students reporting criminal victimization by means of violence at school decreased from 10 percent to 6 percent. Simultaneously, between 1993 and 2001, the percentage of students in grades 9 through 12 who reported carrying a weapon (i.e., a gun, knife, or a club) while on school property declined from 12 percent to 6 p...