The Importance Of School Violence In Detroit Public Schools

Violence Prevention, Reduction, and Elimination Measures to be taken by Law Enforcement and/or School Officials in a Typical School

Violence in society is increasing dramatically and not only is it out in the streets, but it’s in the school systems as well. However, school violence has been becoming more and more of a problem all over the nation in the past several years. School violence needs to stop because no one should be afraid to go to school without feeling like it’ll be their last day.

A school needs to work as a cohesive unit, not only in curriculum and classwork, but also in discipline involving violence and other unacceptable behaviors in the classroom, halls, and any other places under the school’s scope of authority. Solidarity when incorporating PBIS is a cornerstone of its own effectiveness. Not acting is just as damaging as ignorance or enabling. Violence or abuse that is unreported will not effectively support school-wide management. Examples of this are telling yourself, “He’s not my student, I’ll keep a low profile, or It’s none of my business.” Student safety and success will always be foremost, even when it comes to student

A sudden increase of youth violence in public schools in early 1990 has caused many to raise concerns about violent behaviors in schools. In the past, the most common form of violence that took place in schools was bullying, physical fights, or

The City of Detroit has been a renowned city for culture, automobiles and many technological influences throughout the world. But, during the early 1900’s, the City of Detroit was plagued by gang wars just like multiple cities throughout the United States. Unfortunately, the start of Gang Violence has been a mystery ever since it started to effect the public. And feuds, like the “Gianolla – Vitale” feud happened during the Prohibition Era. The gangs were controlling the whole city. There we dozens of crooked cops, judges were crooked, and pretty much every official in the city was crooked. But why did all of these terrible things happen in the City of Detroit?

The New York City Department of Education (DOE) serves 1.1 million students across schools (“About Us”). During the Bloomberg administration more than 140 schools were closed with no indication that the “administration’s closure policy improved outcomes for students in the city’s struggling schools” (“Standardized Testing Is Counterproductive, Corrosive and Corrupting”). Several studies have detailed the damage and disruption the city’s closure policy had on struggling schools in high-need populations with significant academic challenges (Fruchter). Bloomberg’s education policies were guided by The No Child Left Behind law, which required standardized test-based school reform including annual testing, greater flexibility for states and increased teacher qualifications in order to receive federal funding (Ujifusa). This standardized test-based school reform trend continued under the Obama administration 's with the Race to the Top program. Race to the Top rewarded states that used exams and data systems to track the performance of students and teachers, among other initiatives (Cite).

These principals were asked to list what they considered serious or moderate problems in their schools. The most frequently cited problems at all levels were the less violent behaviors such as tardiness (40%), absenteeism (25%), and physical conflicts between students (21%). The NCES report found that violent crimes occurred at an annual rate of only 53 per 100,000 students. The critical incidents that are typically the focus of school safety debates were reported to be at least "a moderate problem”: drug use (9%), gangs (5%), possession of weapons (2%), and physical abuse of teachers (2%). The continued use of this of this policy is mainly due to the perception of violence in schools continually being exacerbated by extended media coverage when isolated events of school violence occur according to Martinez

Lance and his mom were watching the news one morning when it said that an officer were using violence in a classroom to arrest a disruptive student in Spring Valley High school. “It was to aggressive” Lance said. This impacted Lance because his is also a student, he doesn’t want happen something like that in his school or in any other schools.

As violence in the community makes its way into the schools, it is pertinent that school administrators have a plan in place to help reduce and eliminate acts of violence within their classrooms (Lunenburg, 2011). Becoming proactive, rather than reactive, is crucial because according the to the National Crime Survey conducted in 2004, “the number of crimes committed at or near the 85,000 U. S. public schools was estimated at more than 3 million annually, with 185,580 people injured…on any given day, it was not uncommon for students to carry guns to school” (Lunenburg, 2011, p.

Costigan. "The Narrowing of Curriculum and Pedagogy in the Age of Accountability." Urban Education 42.6 (2007): 512-35. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Mar. 2017. This source focuses on New York City teachers to understand how specific curriculum and requirements lead to poor job satisfaction. The teachers studied reported various negative effects. The strong emphasis on academic success on mandated tests causes the teachers to feel their identity being silenced, creativity taken away, and personal relationships with the students diminishing. Large portions of class time must be dedicated to test preparation, which takes time away from personalized activities created by each teacher. Also, the stressful and hurried environment causes the teacher-student relationships to become very surface level. The responses to these setbacks range from frustration and anger to determination and resilience.

During the past decade, school safety has been at the forefront of many school districts safety polices and plans. With recent high profile school shootings, the question school districts continue to ask is how do we keep our schools safe? Administrators face heavy scrutiny when weighing approaches to school safety and student discipline. Likewise, school employees have the right to work in safe environments devoid of life-threatening behaviors (Fenning and Bohanon, 2006; Skiba and Rausch, 2006). America’s founding fathers understood the importance of a public school education. They believed educating its citizens would allow them the opportunity to learn new skills while becoming successful and productive people in society. However, our founding fathers did not predict the severe behavior changes our schools face in educating disruptive and dangerous students. America’s school districts are charged with providing solutions for disruptive and dangerous students (Fenning and Bohanon, 2006; Skiba and Rausch, 2006). School officials must address these issues with research-based interventions and collaborative resources that provide a safe learning environment for all stakeholders (Elliott and Mihalic, 2004; Schoenwald and Hoagwood, 2001). Boards of education continue to support school efforts to rethink best practices for disciplinary alternative middle schools (DAMS). Many school districts focus on research-based interventions and resources that manage aggression and

School violence has become of the most pressing educational problems in the United States. Gang violence and high profile shootings across the nation cause concern within schools. Communities struggle to understand why these events take place and how they can be prevented. The overwhelming response to solve the issue of violence in schools is the increasing societal pressure to execute zero tolerance. Zero tolerance is driven by the educational philosophy, policies, and practices of school communities. Stakeholders expect schools to be a safe place for staff and for students. Stakeholders assume that a positive classroom environment, safe students, and school enjoyment are conditions necessary to create a positive climate where learning takes place. This assumption can be backed with research. A calm classroom environment, teachers’ management of disruptive behavior, and students’ view of school safety are factors that have been found to directly correlate with student achievement in the classroom (Ma & Willms, 2004). Safety and a feeling of not being threatened during school hours have been found to be important to students’ achievement. Failure to remove a disruptive or an unruly student from school has been found to have a negative impact on achievement and creates a great risk to school staff and students (Garbarino et al., 1992). Teachers cannot teach and students cannot learn in an

“The US Department of Education based on their recent surveys has reported that at least ten percent of the schools in the entire United States of America are faced with problems associated with violence and in these schools there is at least one serious case of crime other than thefts and physical attacks”(School Violence...). The article, School Violence-a Survey, on the School Violence, Weapons, Crime, and Bullying website clearly states a rising problem within the US. It seems as if the news has a constant flow of new school violence cases, and there is no indication of slowing down. It is truly shocking to think that teens could cause so much destruction in their own schools. Nevertheless, school violence cases occur quite

Violence in our schools is an issue that has become more prominent in the last few years. News articles about violent deeds within the school setting are on the increase. Our society demands that schools are safe for our children. In order to maintain a peaceful environment for all, we must address and inform our schools, children, and parents as well as the neighboring communities about the issue of school violence. As David W. Johnson, the author of Reducing School Violence states, “To eliminate violence and resolve destructive conflicts, schools must first admit that such conflicts are out of control.” (Johnson 7) Schools in general must identify with these issues in order to deal with them.

School violence, in recent history, seems to have taken the United States by storm. Be it a shooting, such as the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, the inappropriate relationships between teacher and student, such as Stephanie Figueroa whom initiated one such relationship with her 11-year-old karate student, or the multiple fights we see on social media that take place in schools. With each passing week, we see a new story that falls in one of these categories. Today, we look at the types of, causes of and how to prevent violence in what should be a safe place and second home for our youth.