School and Youth Violence: Profiles, Problems, and Solutions
Submitted by: Kate Fogarty, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Youth Development
School violence and crime, particularly serious violent offenses, are well-publicized in the media, leading the American public to believe they are occurring at alarming rates. Before parents hastily decide to home school their youth based on what they see in the media, it is important to examine the research. This article discusses findings from representative studies of the actual prevalence of violence and crime in the schools.
In the past decade the rates of serious violent victimization (rape, robbery, sexual and/or aggravated assault) of 12-18 year-old youth in schools have been consistently less than rates of such crimes against youth in non-school settings. For example, among the 26.4 million 12-18 year-old students enrolled in schools, there were 150,000 incidents of serious violent offenses whereas 320,000 such incidents occurred outside school settings (National Crime Victimization Survey, 2003).
Moreover, rates of victimization of 12-18 year-old students have been steadily on the decline in the past decade. Between 1995 and 2003 the percentage of 12-18 year-old students who reported being victims of crime in school declined from 10% to 5%. Alternatively, less serious and violent crimes, such as theft, are more likely to occur in schools than outside of schools. Twelve to eighteen year-old students were victims of 1.2 million thefts on school grounds as opposed to 750,000 incidents of theft outside the school setting. About 5% of 12 to 18-year-old students reported being victimized at school in which 4% reported theft and the remaining 1% reported being a victim of serious violent crime.
In-School and Out of School Violence: Profiles of Victims
The National Crime Victimization Survey (2003) reported the following profiles of youth victims of in-school and out-of-school violence:
- Males were more likely than females to be victims of crime and serious violent offenses, ones that took place both in and outside school settings.
- Youth aged 12-14 were more likely to be victims of crime and serious violence in school than 15-18 year-old students.
- Older students, aged 15-18 years, were more likely than their younger peers to be victims of crime and serious violence that took place outside of school.
- No differences were found in rates of theft in school by age or sex.
- White and Black students were more likely to have experienced theft than Hispanic students.
- No differences were found in rates of serious violent crime (whether in or out of school) by age, race/ethnicity, or sex.
Violent Behavior in Schools: Use of Weapons
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2003) reported the following findings on types of school-related violence:
- Male 9th – 12th graders were more likely than females (12% versus 6%) to have been threatened or injured with a weapon on school property.
- Urban students were more likely than suburban students to report having been threatened or injured with a weapon on school property. The difference (11% versus 9%) was not statistically significant. In other words, there was not enough evidence to prove the difference was found by more than chance.
- Native American students were more likely to have been threatened or injured with a weapon on school property than all other racial/ethnic groups.
- Ninth graders were more likely to have been threatened or injured by a weapon on school property than tenth graders (12% versus 9%).
Violent Incidents Reported at School
The School Survey on Crime and Safety polled public school principals to report rates of serious violent crimes (rape, sexual battery, physical attack, fight with a weapon, threatening with a weapon, and robbery with or without a weapon). The survey found:
- 71% of public schools experienced at least one violent incident in the 1999-2000 school year and 36% of public schools reported such incidents to the police.
- Urban schools were more likely than suburban schools to report violent incidents to the police. Seventy-seven percent of city schools had at least one violent incident and 44% reported at least one violent incident to the police.
- 86% of public schools experienced one or more incident of crime (including nonviolent) in the 1999-2000 school year.
- 92% of high schools or junior high schools, 87% of middle schools, and 61% of elementary schools had experienced at least one violent incident.
The effects of school violence on children and teachers include:
- depression and adjustment problems
- poor academic performance
- truancy and school dropout
- (for teachers) disillusionment with and/or leaving the profession.
In light of the damage that school violence does to students, teachers, and school systems, prevention is crucial. These findings point to ways in which intervention has worked over the past decade as well as future directions to go in order to prevent school violence. Suggestions for reducing youth violence, both in and out of school, include:
Commit to raising children safely and effectively.
Programs that serve parents, children, and child care providers need to be designed to promote positive discipline, effective communication, and investment of quality time between parents and their children.
Make prevention and intervention a reality.
Implement programs serving family and school audiences and evaluate their effectiveness.
Support our schools.
Extension programs such as those provided by 4-H and Family and Consumer Sciences have effectively worked with school audiences (teachers, students, and administrators) in educational efforts promoting life skills that youth need to succeed.
Create collaborations among families, schools, and other institutions in the community.
Cooperative Extension, through Family and Consumer Science and 4-H educational programs effectively create such collaborations to provide youth with socialization opportunities to develop in positive ways.
References
DeVoe, J.F., Peter, K., Noonan, M., Snyder, T.D., and Baum, K. (2005). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2005 (NCES 2006–001/NCJ 210697). U.S. Departments of Education and Justice. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Santrock, J.W. (2007). Adolescence. (11th Edition). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
