Monitoring School Violence

Abstract

National monitoring of school violence is essential for needs assessments, policymaking, and evaluation at the national level. As informative and important as national monitoring is, the data generated at the national level is often not useful at the district or school site levels. There is therefore a need for a feasible method of monitoring school violence on the district and school level; furthermore, we need to find ways to effectively apply national-level information to schools and school districts. over time should be the foundation for the design, implementation, and evaluation of interventions in this area. In this article, we propose an expanded concept of monitoring that links comparable data on school violence at the grade, school site, district, and national levels. The paper presents our conceptual framework and methodology and illustrates its implementation in a district in Israel. We present examples of reports generated to monitor school violence for the district as a whole and for each of the school sites. Finally, we conclude that this is a feasible and useful model that social services could adopt to monitor practice in many other areas.     

Training School-Community Behavioral Health Teams in Problem Clarification and Program Planning

The training of School-Community Behavioral Health Teams in problem clarification and program planning is described, outcome evidence suggesting the utility of the approach is reported, and considerations pertincnt to its implementation are discussed. The purpose of a School-Community Behavioral Health Team is (1) to help a public school district identify potential and actual behavioral problems of children and youth, and (2) to help school professionals in the planning of programs which address the identified areas. A team is compriscd of a cross-section of school and community representatives who collaborate with program developers and implementers from the school district, by means of a specific problem solving approach, with a focus on maintaining or improving the behavioral health of children and youth.     

India–China Trade at the Borders: challenges and opportunities

This paper aggregates the state of India–China economic relations with a specific focus on trade at the borders. It explicates the potential for economic activity at the border regions to generate self-sustaining and/or externally linked local development for both countries. By an examination of the existing trade and investment policies and practices, it shows how geographical contiguity is yet to be transformed into opportunity along the India–China border, a practice consistent both with the history of these regions as well as with the blueprints being drawn up for the future of these regions. Informed by the Liberal school of IR theory, the paper studies border trade through the paradigmatic optic of being an important, yet underutilized, avenue of dyadic interaction, and makes a case for upgrading the status of border trade in the overall schema of bilateral trade relations between India and China.     

Developing and Validating a New Classroom Climate Observation Assessment Tool

The climate of school classrooms, shaped by a combination of teacher practices and peer processes, is an important determinant for children's psychosocial functioning and is a primary factor affecting bullying and victimization. Given that there are relatively few theoretically-grounded and validated assessment tools designed to measure the social climate of classrooms, our research team developed an observation tool through participatory action research (PAR). This article details how the assessment tool was designed and preliminarily validated in 18 third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade classrooms in a large urban public school district. The goals of this study are to illustrate the feasibility of a PAR paradigm in measurement development, ascertain the psychometric properties of the assessment tool, and determine associations with different indices of classroom levels of relational and physical aggression.     

Transportation Challenges for Urban Students With Disabilities: Parent Perspectives

This qualitative study explored parent perspectives of the transportation difficulties students with disabilities experienced getting to and around school. Participants were parents of predominantly African American and Latino/a high school youth with disabilities from low income neighborhoods. Content analysis of 14 meetings with 5 to 12 parents sponsored by the school district revealed five primary themes concerning transportation: the role of aides, exclusion from school programming, scheduling problems, equipment problems, and physical safety issues. Findings are discussed in regard to students' social and emotional experiences at school. Implications for school policy include improving the integration of transportation within inclusion best practice models. Incorporating parent perspectives can help school administrators and staff enrich the quality of inclusive, socially just education for students with disabilities.     

消费者购房消费动机及差异研究——以合肥市为例

本研究采用自编的《消费者购房消费动机问卷》在合肥市进行了调查。通过独立样本t检验等统计方法探讨了性别、婚姻状况、年龄、家庭收入、文化程度、居住现状及购房次数对消费者购房消费动机的影响。其中男性、单身和30岁以下的消费者更注重住房的社会象征意义,表现较高的从众倾向,已婚、30岁以上、具有合肥市户口的消费者则更加关注学区房因素;学历较高和收入高的消费者都更为关注经济因素、住房的象征意义,表现较高的从众倾向;有房者更注重经济因素和学区房因素,发生更少的从众行为。     

Socioeconomic Status and Behavior Problems

Abstract

Violence in the schools is a fundamental concern for students, educators and communities as they collectively address issues that make schools safer. A longitudinal analysis of disciplinary referrals was conducted with a large countywide school district to measure differences across socioeconomic status and school level. These variables proved to be critical in identifying and targeting schools that may need to be the focus of prevention and intervention efforts. Other suggestions related to the effects of school violence on academic instruction and methods for the targeting of services are discussed along with implications for educators and mental health professionals in school based settings.     

School Principals’ Perceptions of Crime Risk and Academic Climate: Links to School Safety Practices

ABSTRACT

Little is known about principals’ perceptions and their links to how school safety practices operate. Using data from School Survey on Crime and Safety from 2,009 public schools in the US, the current study examines the extent to which principals/administrators’ perceptions of academic climate and crime risk are related to school practices regarding safety and discipline. Results show that principals’ perceptions directly relate to school safety practices when controlling for school characteristics, and also explain how selected school characteristics relate to safety practices.Overall, the present study highlights the importance of principals’ perceptions of crime risk and academic climate in school safety practices. Policy implications and potential limitations of the study are discussed.     

K-12 Teachers' Perceptions of School Policy and Fear of School Violence

Abstract

Since the 1990s, schools have focused their attention on policies designed to improve school safety. Most researches on school violence policies have concentrated on the needs of students and administrators. This study investigated the impact of school violence policies on K-l 2 teachers' fear. Using self-report data from 447 K-12 teachers from a large southeastern school district and multilevel path analysis, this study showed that K-12 teachers' perceptions of school policies impacted their fear of school violence. Further, ecological factors had a direct relationship with teacher fear. Policy implications from these findings are discussed.     

少数民族地区乡村旅游发展与和谐社会构建研究

乡村旅游已成为我国旅游业新的增长点和亮点。我国少数民族地区的绝大多数乡村有条件、有市场顺应国际国内旅游业发展的潮流发展乡村旅游。实践证明,少数民族地区开展乡村旅游对构建和谐社会起着多方面的积极作用。少数民族地区乡村应把握好乡村旅游的开发原则,探索其开发的有效途径,实现少数民族地区乡村的经济发展与全面和谐。     

E-Sites For Safe Schools

ABSTRACT

A substantial body of research indicates that positive school culture benchmarks are integrally tied to the success of school reform and change in general. Additionally, an emerging body of research suggests a similar role for school culture in effective implementation of school violence prevention and intervention efforts. However, little research is available that specifically focuses on the elements of school culture that promote the successful implementation of bullying intervention programs aimed at reducing the most prevalent form of school violence. Therefore, this case study attempted to identify the school culture characteristics that supported or interfered with implementation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program from the viewpoint of school staff key informants in a junior high school in its second year of program implementation. Data were collected primarily from open-ended, semi-structured interviews along with informal observations and analysis of school documents. Themes emerging from the interviews were examined in relation to the findings from the observations and documents. School culture characteristics that supported implementation included a sense of family, warmth, collaboration, and connections among staff and between staff and students, combined with a central focus on learning as the primary mission of the school. Identified barriers to implementation included the local community served by the district that was slow to change and accept differences. Outcomes suggest that, beyond ensuring fidelity of implementing the core components of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, examining the characteristics of a school's culture that promote or impede implementation efforts might further ensure its success and integration.     

Safety Matters

Abstract

As a result of Columbine and other events, states and districts across the United States have responded with vigor to a call for a renewed focus on school safety. This paper examined one such effort undertaken by Harrison County Public Schools, located in West Virginia. The district received federal funding for surveillance equipment used to enhance safety efforts at middle and high schools, as well as to coordinate a collaborative relationship with local emergency responders. This paper used qualitative and quantitative measures to examine the impact of this project on teachers and administrators in the district. Results indicated that a substantive focus on school safetyincluding surveillance equipment significantly impacted perceptions of safety. However, administrators should consider the impact of school culture when implementing these new changes.     

The Effect of Peer Victimization on Learning

Abstract

Incidents of school violence have prompted calls for school communities to create environments that encourage student by-standers to act responsibly and proactively when they confront a range of violent incidents, from bullying and fights to weapon carrying and other serious threats to school safety. It is not always clear, however, what bystanders would—or should—do when faced with violent or potentially violent situations. This article describes findings from focus groups conducted with 54 middle school students and 97 staff in an urban, predominantly African American school district with relatively high levels of community violence. Discussions addressed bystander norms, attitudes, and behaviors, and identified barriers that prevent youth as well as adult bystanders from taking positive action. Findings inform violence prevention strategies for building consensus and supporting positive bystander responses.     

A Systematic Evaluation of Restorative Justice Practices: School Violence Prevention and Response

ABSTRACT

Despite its increasing recognition and use in U.S. schools, a limited amount of research has evaluated the effect of restorative justice (RJ) for school violence prevention and response. To date, there is no standardized method for RJ implementation. Therefore, this systematic literature review investigates peer-reviewed studies on the application of RJ practices in K-12 school settings. Ten articles were included in the review. Results of the review indicate a high degree of variability regarding the implementation and evaluation of RJ practices in schools. However, the majority of studies reported positive outcomes, including improved social relationships and reductions in office discipline referrals. The utility of RJ as a school violence prevention and intervention approach are discussed, along with future research directions.     

Implementing and Evaluating School-Based Primary Prevention Programs and the Importance of Differential Effects on Outcomes

Abstract

In 2004, Second Step (Committee for Children, 2002), a violence prevention program, was implemented in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights school district for 1,416 K through second grade students. Both process and outcome measures were used to evaluate program impact and examine issues related to the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based practices. Process measures indicated a high level of implementation fidelity, while pre/post outcome testing on a 20% random sample of students demonstrated significant reductions in reactive aggression scores, t= 2.221, df= 238, p< 0.05, and evidence of declines in proactive aggression. Authors discuss challenges and opportunities related to implementing and evaluating evidence-based programming in Safe Schools/Health Students sites, particularly regarding strategies for the assessment of differential intervention effects to evaluate program outcomes.     

Challenging Heteronormativity: Creating a Safe and Inclusive Environment for LGBTQ Students

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth face hostile and exclusionary learning environments. A qualitative phenomenographic method involving semistructured interviews of seven secondary school administrators was conducted to identify perceptions of experiences creating a safe and inclusive environment for students who identified as LGBTQ. The findings of the study were examined from a conceptual foundation that a heteronormative culture dominates the U.S. school system that perpetuates the marginalizing of nongender conforming students. The three emergent perceptions identified included: (a) providing safe spaces while working to create an inclusive environment; (b) promoting student awareness and acceptance of diversity; and (c) challenging heteronormativity within the context of formal policies and procedures.     

广西大石山区推进社会主义新农村建设的若干思考

大石山区贫困县由于历史和地理等因素的制约,经济发展滞后,与发达地区相比,有较大的差距,党的十七大把坚持发展现代农业、繁荣农村经济作为首要任务,加强农村基础设施建设,健全农村市场和农业服务体系的决策,为大石山区社会主义新农村建设提供了理论指南和政策导向。在贫困大石山区建设社会主义新农村,各级政府应该以科学发展观为指导,以发展农村经济为中心。扎实推进大石山区新农村建设。     

对我国民族地区群体性事件的规律性认识及对策建议

民族地区能否保持社会稳定直接影响着我国的政治安定与社会良性运行。在我国进入利益分化与博弈的时代背景下,结合民族地区特殊的历史、文化与地域因素,辨析民族地区群体性事件的性质,阐释其特点,解析其成因,并提出了预防与解决群体性事件的对策建议,以期实现社会治理成本的降低与民族地区的和谐发展。     

非法证据排除规则的理论基础刍议

在注重人权保障的现代社会,诉讼人权的保障愈来愈受到人们的重视。确立非法证据排除规则,遏制非法取证行为,规范侦查权力的行使已成为国际刑事司法发展的趋势。当前,考量如何确立非法证据排除规则已成为重要课题。研究此课题,首要的前提就是要研究我国的非法证据排除规则的有关理论,进而确立以基本人权保障理论作为我国非法证据排除规则的理论基础。     

论我国非法证据排除制度的完善

刑事证据制度作为国家法律体系的重要组成部分,对刑法的实现具有决定性的意义。由于我国目前关于刑事证据制度的法律规定在刑事诉讼法中的规定较笼统,致使在刑事审判中往往对刑事证据的认证难以把握。本文旨在通过对刑事证据制度中的非法证据排除制度的探究,分析我国非法证据排除制度的不足,结合目前刑事审判中的实际情况,提出改革和完善非法证据排除制度的建议,以求为解决这一问题提供思路和方法。