Read the information at the bottom of this assignment sheet. Then select 5 of the following questions to answer.
Questions for Reflection:
How could bullying be reduced in the schools?
How do you think reducing bullying in the schools would decrease violence?
In what ways can schools reduce student-teacher ratio?
How do you feel reducing the student-teacher ratio will affect school violence?
What kind of policies do you think would necessitate zero tolerance?
Do you think zero tolerance is effective? Why or why not?
Do you think stricter gun laws would reduce the occurrence of school shootings?
What preventative measures could schools generate to curtail the incidence of
school violence?
Violence in Schools
· A recent spate of deadly school shootings, including the April 1999
massacre of 14 students and a teacher at a suburban Colorado high school,
have given much attention to the necessary intervention needed in our schools.
Researchers, politicians, and school personnel have focused on issues of
bullying, student-teacher ratio, gun control, and zero tolerance. Read the
following paragraphs on these issues and answer the questions that follow.
· The phenomena of bullying are often described using such terms as
harassment, teasing, and peer abuse. Bullying can include a wide range of
hurtful behaviors, encompassing physically injurious actions, as well as verbal
forms of harassment, and indirect means of hurting others. In schools, verbal
harassment is the most commonly observed form of bullying ; physical bullying
the least. Although boys and girls may engage in all these behaviors, indirect
bullying is more commonly found among girls ; physical bullying among boys.
· A high student-teacher ratio makes it nearly impossible for teachers to
effectively monitor student behavior. Teachers are unable to notice acts of
aggression which precede violence in large classrooms, lunchrooms, and
playgrounds. Discipline problems and crime increase because of the high
student-teacher ratios. It also makes it difficult for teachers to maintain
control, and reduces the opportunities for teachers to form supportive,
personal relationships with the students. Many educators and experts believe
that reducing class size is one of the most important ways to help ensure
school safety.
· Child behavior experts and school officials say it's unclear whether so-called
"zero tolerance" is making schools safer or putting violent kids back on track.
Zero tolerance is the practice in which disciplinary action is taken immediately
following the serious violation of school policy. Although zero tolerance tends
to provide a feeling of safety, there is little solid evidence it is curbing violent
behavior in schools. Zero tolerance policies may be causing a "near
epidemic" of suspensions and expulsions that ultimately may encourage at-risk
students to drop out of school altogether.
· Gun violence among young people continues, despite the fact that it is illegal
for anyone under 21 to buy a handgun and anyone under 18 to buy a rifle or
shotgun. This increased violence among young people has created an
atmosphere of fear that has driven more young people to carry weapons.
According to a recent report issued by the Department of Education, over
6,000 students were expelled in 1996-1997 for bringing guns to their public
schools. A 1995 survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control found
that two in 25 high school students reported having carried a gun in the last
30 days.