Book Review on School Violence
School Violence
A Current Controversies Novel
A Book Report
Book Edited By: Lucinda Almond
The Book:
Lucinda Almond (Book Editor)
School Violence – A Current Controversies Novel
Farmington Hills, Michigan: The Gale and Greenhaven Press, 2008
232pp. $27.50 0-7377-3796-4
Whether it is the classic bullying that occurs on a daily basis or a distraught student entering a school with a gun, there is a wide spectrum when it comes to the degrees of school violence. The National Criminal Justice Reference Service defines school violence as “any behaviour that violates a school’s education mission or climate of respect or jeopardizes the intent of the school to be free of aggression against persons or property, drugs, weapons, disruptions and disorder” (Almond, p. 20). The book, School Violence, contains compilations of ideas from different experts and authors. It is organized into 4 chapters: “Is School Violence a Prevalent Problem?” , “What Factors Contribute to School Violence?”, “Will Stricter Gun Control Laws Reduce School Violence?” and “Will Alternative Juvenile Interventions Help Prevent School Violence?”. There are many aspects to school violence, which the contributors to this novel analyze. Although the authors’ beliefs and proposed solutions may vary, they all share the common goal of “securing safe schools for all students” (Almond, p. 17). The first issue discussed is the prevalence of school violence and its many forms. A majority of us are familiar with the University of Texas Massacre in 1996, where a sole gunman killed 16 students (Wikipedia, 2010). Although more extreme incidents (i.e. carrying weapons, sexual assault, bomb threats, etc.) are reported or heard of in the media, Alan G. Hevesi claims several school administrators do not report incidents or they manipulate the data. Most unreported incidents include physical assault, harassment and burglaries. This is concerning since as students or parents we intend for our
A Current Controversies Novel
A Book Report
Book Edited By: Lucinda Almond
The Book:
Lucinda Almond (Book Editor)
School Violence – A Current Controversies Novel
Farmington Hills, Michigan: The Gale and Greenhaven Press, 2008
232pp. $27.50 0-7377-3796-4
Whether it is the classic bullying that occurs on a daily basis or a distraught student entering a school with a gun, there is a wide spectrum when it comes to the degrees of school violence. The National Criminal Justice Reference Service defines school violence as “any behaviour that violates a school’s education mission or climate of respect or jeopardizes the intent of the school to be free of aggression against persons or property, drugs, weapons, disruptions and disorder” (Almond, p. 20). The book, School Violence, contains compilations of ideas from different experts and authors. It is organized into 4 chapters: “Is School Violence a Prevalent Problem?” , “What Factors Contribute to School Violence?”, “Will Stricter Gun Control Laws Reduce School Violence?” and “Will Alternative Juvenile Interventions Help Prevent School Violence?”. There are many aspects to school violence, which the contributors to this novel analyze. Although the authors’ beliefs and proposed solutions may vary, they all share the common goal of “securing safe schools for all students” (Almond, p. 17). The first issue discussed is the prevalence of school violence and its many forms. A majority of us are familiar with the University of Texas Massacre in 1996, where a sole gunman killed 16 students (Wikipedia, 2010). Although more extreme incidents (i.e. carrying weapons, sexual assault, bomb threats, etc.) are reported or heard of in the media, Alan G. Hevesi claims several school administrators do not report incidents or they manipulate the data. Most unreported incidents include physical assault, harassment and burglaries. This is concerning since as students or parents we intend for our
References: Wikipedia (2010). School shootings. Retrieved November 13, 2010 from website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_shooting#Notable_school_shootings