NCJ Number
171907
Date Published
1996
Length
2 pages
Annotation
The Schools and Staffing Survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics in 1987-88, 1990-91, and 1993-94 gathered information about teachers' opinions about safety-related problems affecting their schools.
Abstract
Results revealed that from 1987-88 to 1993-94, the percentage of teachers in public secondary schools who reported that physical conflicts among students were moderate or serious problems in their schools increased from 26 percent to nearly 40 percent. Public elementary school teachers also increasingly reported physical conflicts as moderate or serious problems; almost 30 percent made these reports in 1993-94. In addition, the percentages of public secondary school teachers who reported that weapons possession was a moderate or serious problem in their schools nearly doubled, from 11 percent in 1990-91 to about 20 percent in 1993-94. At each time period, about twice the percentage of elementary teachers in schools with more than 750 students reported these problems as did their counterparts in schools with fewer than 150 students. A similar pattern occurred in secondary schools. Findings indicated that public school teachers regarded the schools as less safe in 1993-94 than they were in 1987-88. Findings also raise several issues that need further attention in research and practice. Figure, table, and 8 references