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Conceptualizing School Safety
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Introduction ·
Activities ·
Rubric ·
Conclusion ·
users' guide
Introduction
If every time we encountered something new, we had to learn about it as if we'd never seen anything in our lives before, we'd never get past the bedroom door. Part of learning is being able to group examples of things into sets or concepts that share common elements, or critical attributes. So we know most four-legged fuzzy things that bark are dogs, most Hollywood movies end happily, and most soft drinks are fizzy. When you have to tell examples of a concept from those things that aren't, it helps to analyze a group of good examples to see what they have in common. That's what we'll be doing in this activity. If you want to get a feel for what good conceptual learning looks like, review the evaluation rubric that goes with this activity. Either way, get ready to switch on your brain, open your eyes, and begin to recognize the critical attributes that define the key aspects of school safety.
School Shootings
Use the links below to look at incidents of school shootings. Use these examples to find important things that are common traits. Taking all the links together, what are the key features that any example of this concept has to have? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have.
- School Shootings - Interactive Map
- Excellent quick overview from CNN
- Picture Moments - Columbine Remembered
- images from various sources
- Colorado Shooting - A photo Journal
- from the Washington Post
- Was Columbine The Trigger?
- Seven similar situations listed by CBS News
- First-grader shot dead by classmate in Michigan school
- from CNN
- Oklahoma Boy, 13, doesn't know why he shot classmates
- from CNN - December 6, 1999
- Youth Violence - Panel of Experts
- from NewsHour - March 26, 1998
- Oregon teen shooting suspect: 'I had no other choice'
- from CNN
- Georgia teen to be tried as adult in school shootings
- from CNN
- 3 Forsyth children arrested in plot to shoot third-grade classmate
- from the Billings Gazette
Real Audio Files
- Columbine High School - One Year Anniversary
- RealAudio file - NPR's Mark Roberts reports on the impact the Columbine High School shooting
- School Shooting in Santee - March 5, 2001
- RealAudio File - NPR's Robert Siegel reports on a school shooting in Santee, Calif.
Bullying
Use the links below to look at examples of bullying. Try to find important things that are common traits to each example. Taking all the links together, what are the key features of bullying? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have.
- School lesson: Deflect bullies, prevent violence
- from CNN
- 7 Ways to Cope With Bullies
- Index from The Washington Post
- Brian Deneke Memorial Web site
- a tribute site to a victim of violence
- How Childhood Bullies Affected Some Well-Known Adults
- from the Washington Post
- Bully Be-Gone
- from Kid's Post
- The 3 R's of Growing Up
- from goodcharacter.com
- Dealing With Pressures
- from goodcharacter.com
- Sage, Ink Cartoon - Hard Lessons
- by Sage Stossel of The Atlantic on teen cliques & terrorists
Real Audio Files
- Brian Deneke Case - All Things Considered 11-22-99
- National Public Radio Report - requires Real Audio
Gang Violence
Use the links below to look at examples of gang violence. Look for important things that are define this concept. Taking all the links together, what are the key features of gang violence? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have.
- Warning Signs: Gangs & Violence
- from WarningSigns.info
- Gangs 101
- information is taken from the manual "Comprehensive Community Reanimation Process"
- A Quiet Battle Against Gangs
- from the Washington Post
- Street Gang Dynamics
- By Steve Nawojczyk
- Lynching of bound white male with religious symbolism
- from Journal E: Without Sanctuary
- Targeting Gang Violence
- definitions of gang violence, examples of gang violence, and prevention strategies.
Real Audio Files
- Los Angeles Gangs - All Things Considered, April 23, 2002
- National Public Radio Report - requires Real Audio
Profile of Perpetrators
Use the links below to look at profiles of people who have committed violent acts at schools. Try to find important similarities common to each example. Taking all the links together, what are the key features that most perpetrators of school violence share? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have.
- Checklist of characteristics
- regarding youth who have caused school-associated violent deaths
- 'Mental breakdown' defense hinted in Georgia school shooting
- from CNN
- Airlines, passengers confront racial profiling
- from CNN / travel
- Sympathy for School Killers?
- from CBS News
- School Violence - Society's Child
- posted by Stephen Stocker
- The War On Individuality Comes Home - Littleton Shootings Predictable
- by James Neff
Real Audio Files
- Kids Who Kill - Clues to Identifying Violent Teens
- NewsHour Interview with James Garbarino
Editorials
Use the links below to look at editorial comments about school shootings. Try to find important things people tend to criticize or highlight with humor. Taking all the links together, what are the key features of editorial opinions on school violence? What point are people making and how do they go about getting their ideas across? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have.
- Many Editorial Cartoons about School Shootings
- by all of the top cartoonists updated regularly
- Sage, Ink Cartoon - Duck and Cover
- by Sage Stossel of the Atlantic Monthly on School violence
- Columbine Jocks Safely Resume Bullying
- lampoon article from The Onion
- Dissecting Columbine's Cult of the Athlete
- from the Washington Post
Adolescent Development
Use the links below to look at information and opinions about adolescent development. Try to find important things people tend to agree are part of teenage growth. Taking all the links together, what are the key features of adolescent development? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have.
- Teen Brain Development
- links to online articles
- When Teens Turn Violent
- Recognize the Signs Before It's Too Late - by Sharon Lewis
- Are Teens Just Wired That Way?
- from the Washington Post
- Your Teen's Brain: it really is Different!
- by Barbara Cooke at FamilyEducation.com
- Key Brain Growth Goes on Into Teens
- by Curt Suplee, Washington Post
- Mood Disorders in Children and Adolescents
- by Anne Brown, National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression
- Behavioral Disorders: Focus on Change
- from KidSource OnLine
- 10 Tips for talking with kids about tough issues
- from Talking with Kids - Kaiser Foundation
- Helping Children After a Disaster
- from the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
- Helping Children Cope With Loss
- from the National Mental Health Association
The Effects of Media
Use the links below to look at examples of media's effect on people. Try to find important things that people tend to agree about. Taking all the links together, what are the key features of media's impact on people, particularly related to violence? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have.
- A Symbiosis of Sorts: School Violence and the Media
- by Gene I. Maeroff, Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media
- Violence on Television
- What do Children Learn? What Can Parents Do?
- Children and TV Violence
- from The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- How Television Images Affect Children
- by Ron Kaufman of Kill Your Television
- Violent Video Games Can Increase Aggression
- APA News Release - April 23, 2000
- Video Games and Children
- ERIC - Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education
- Virtual Violence
- from ABC News.com
- Video games 'increase aggression'
- from BBC News
Childhood around the World
Use the links below to look at examples of childhood as it's found around the world and in the past and present. Try to find important things that are common to childhood or that you think should be part of each person's childhood. Think about what you might consider "rights." Taking all the links together, what are the key features that any childhood should have? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have.
- Innocence Lost - How should the legal system handle kids who kill?
- an expert panel discussion on NewsHour
- Child Soldiers in Afghanistan
- from Child-Soldier.org
- Stop the Use of Child Soldiers
- from Human Rights Watch
- The History Place
- Child Labor in America 1908 - 1912
- Workhouse Children 19th Century
- from Spartacus Educational
- Child Labor
- from David Cody, published on Victorian Web
- USA: McDonald's Uses Sweatshop
- from CorpWatch
- Walt Disney and Slave Labor
Guns & Protection
Use the links below to look at opinions on guns and protection. Try to find important things that are common to people's beliefs on the subject. Taking all the links together, what are the key features that any person should consider when understanding the issues involved in gun use and protection, specifically as they relate to school violence? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have.
- Fact File
- from Common Sense about Kids and Guns
- In the News - headlines and links to online articles
- from Common Sense about Kids and Guns
- Family Stories
- links to online articles and postings
- School shooting sparks gun control debate
- from CNN
- Industry -- but not NRA -- backs some restrictions on guns
- from CNN
- School violence needs radical solutions - anti gun control
- Bill Shipp is editor of Bill Shipp's Georgia newsletter
- 1993 CDC Study: Teen Gun Deaths Hit New High
- Screener says detectors do not spot small knives
- from the Philadelphia Inquirer
- School Security Equipment and Technology
- from the National School Safety and Security Services
- Districts should proceed cautiously on metal detectors (05/22/00)
- from the New York state School Board News
Real Audio Files
- Gun Control History - Weekend Edition - Sunday, March 11, 2001
- from NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr
Effective Schooling
Use the links below to look at opinions about effective schooling. Try to find important things that people agree on or at least have strong opinions about. Taking all the links together, what are the key features that any example of effective schooling should address? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have.
- Candidates for the teacher of the year award speak out on school violence.
- from NewsHour - April 22, 1999 (RealAudio available)
- Violence and Discipline Problems in U.S. Public Schools: 1996-97
- from The National Center for Education Statistics
- Burn the Schools-Save the Children
- compares schools and prisons
- What's Wrong With School? (Answer: Everything)
- by James Hutchings of Angry People (Australia)
- Ending Compulsory Education
- by Anarchy Youth
- How to Reboot America
- Suggestions by an Anarchist to avoid future Columbine massacres
- The Condition of Education 2001
- from the National Center for Education Statistics
- Frequently Asked Questions on Topics related to Elementary and Secondary Education
- from the National Center for Education Statistics
- Schools Seen as Out of Sync With Teens
- article from Education Week - May 2, 2001
- Alternatives in Education - links
- provided by Teresa Gallagher
- Gandhi's Views on Education
- from Mahatma Gandhi - his life, work & philosophy
Solutions to School Violence
Use the links below to look at example solutions to school violence. Try to find important things that are common to each plan. Taking all the links together, what are the key features that solutions to school violence should take into consideration? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have.
- Cooperation, Conflict Resolution, and School Violence: A Systems Approach
- Peter T. Coleman and Morton Deutsche
- Stopping School Violence
- National Crime Prevention Council
- Raising Children to Resist Violence: What You Can Do - (for Parents)
- from the American Psychological Association
- Early Warning, Timely Response
- A detailed & highly endorsed report from the Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice
- Making Peace -- Tips on Managing Conflict
- Tips for Doing it Yourself and Getting Help
- Guide for Preventing and Responding to School Violence
- comprehensive guide
- Panel probing school shootings finds no easy solutions
- from CNN
- How New York got safer schools
- from CNN Interactive
- FAQ on Violence prevention
- from the National Center for Education Statistics
Real Audio Files
- School Shooting Prevention - Wednesday, March 14, 2001
- RealAudio file from Morning Edition - National Public Radio
- Preventing School Violence - March 04, 2000
- RealAudio file - NPR report on a school district that claims to be one of the more proactive districts in the country
Conclusion
At the beginning of this activity, you were invited to review an evaluation rubric and told you'd look at Internet links that were examples of important concepts. What common aspects unite the various faces of school violence and safety? Concept building requires sharing, discussing and comparing your ideas against those of others, so a class discussion will conclude this activity.
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