Prevention Strategies for Violence in Education
Some violence that occurs in school is caused by factors outside of the school’s control. Even so, schools can act to help prevent violence. Schools with less violence tend to have a fair, engaged, positive learning environment.[]
Steps that schools can take to prevent violence:[][][][][][]
- Use engaging, culturally relevant curricula
- Involve students in decision making
- Encourage student organizations that promote inclusion
- Foster positive communication
- Teach violence prevention concepts and skills (e.g., social-emotional learning, healthy decisions, healthy relationships, and bystander intervention)
- Provide support and counseling
- Offer supplemental education tailored to students in need
- Foster caregiver and community involvement
- Assess school climate and risk for violence and use results to shift policies
- Identify and monitor school spaces at risk for violence
- Create clear, consistent, fair discipline policies
- Fund programs to decrease in-school violence
- Hold students who use violence responsible for their actions, while also helping them learn positive social behaviors and emotional skills.
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[VED64] Warner, B. S., Weist, M. D., & Krulak, A. (1999). Risk factors for school violence. Urban Education, 34(1), 52–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085999341004
[VED65] National Association of School Psychologists. (2015). School violence prevention: Guidelines for administrators and crisis teams. Retrieved September 22, 2022. https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-safety-and-crisis/school-violence-resources/school-violence-prevention/school-violence-prevention-guidelines-for-administrators-and-crisis-teams
[VED66] Peterson, R. L., & Skiba, R. (2001). Creating school climates that prevent school violence. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 74(3), 155–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098650109599183
[VED67] Hoffman, M. J., Wiggall, R. L., Dereshiwsky, M. I., & Emanuel, G. L. (2013). State School Finance System Variance Impacts on Student Achievement: Inadequacies in School Funding. EJournal of Education Policy. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1158691.pdf
[VED68] American Federation of Teachers. (2001). Keep the faucet flowing. Retrieved April 29, 2022. https://www.aft.org/periodical/american-educator/fall-2001/keep-faucet-flowing
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