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Overview
Violence among youth in public schools is one of America's most pressing concerns. Once thought to be something only inner-city schools faced, it has spread to suburban and rural schools.There are no easy solutions to the problem, but this book explores what administrators and other school officials can do to structure school safety programs to curb student violence. An introduction provides information and statistics about the causes of school violence.
Chapter One considers government legislation and resulting initiatives to reduce youth violence and improve classroom discipline. Chapter Two covers strategies for building a school safety program, and offers recommended and tested approaches for creating safety initiatives. Chapter Three provides additional information about school-wide strategies and presents model programs that can be implemented at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Chapter Four examines character-building educational programs and discusses training for teachers and parents. Chapter Five is a directory of organizations, alliances, centers, professional development groups, publications, and websites dealing with school safety.
About the Author:
Now retired, Joseph P. Hester taught at the university level for ten years, at the public school level for ten years, and served as a public school administrator for seventeen years. He holds the Master in Theology from Southeastern Seminary, Wake Forest, and the Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Georgia, Athens. He has written extensively on ethics, philosophy and education and is also the author of The Ten Commandments: A Handbook of Religious, Legal and Social Issues (2002, $45). He lives in Claremont, North Carolina.
Synopsis
This book explores what administrators and other school officials can do to keep their schools and students safe. It considers federal and state government legislation and initiatives designed to reduce youth violence in schools, and presents model programs that can be implemented in elementary, middle, and high schools. Hester taught public school and served as a public school administrator. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
School Library Journal
An extremely useful tool for exploring and understanding the complexities of making schools safe. It begins by discussing a number of important government reports that have identified the problems and causes of youth violence and some ideas for combating it. Summaries of initiatives at the federal and state level in recent years are provided. The myriad strategies involving the community, parents, and teachers are discussed and both ineffective and effective programs are evaluated, including DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), which the Surgeon General's research team categorized as "Does Not Work." Several programs identified as promising or successful models for dealing with aggression, fighting, and bullying are highlighted along with the U.S. Departments of Justice's and Education's action plan for safer schools. The author elaborates on creating a culture of leadership that helps children to make ethical choices, develop problem-solving skills, and build character through service as a way for society to promote school safety. The final chapter consists of an annotated list of primarily national and state resources that address youth violence in the schools, from assistance with grant writing to statistical data. This is a solid and thorough guide to a subject that is of great concern to educators, parents, students, and the community at large.-Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.