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In the past decade, the news media periodically focused on high-profile mass murders occurring in schools, such as the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre and the 1999 Columbine High School shootings in Colorado. School shootings are among the most salient of news events, and although they occur infrequently, they capture the public attention. The Columbine shooters erroneously personify the current generation of violent youth and serve as a starting point for public discourse about school violence and larger social problems such as delinquency and youth disaffection. The irony is that, while concrete evidence from the past decade indicates consistently declining rates of school violence and the relative safety of schools, the popular perception is that schools are increasingly violent places.

While mainstream America may suffer from the mistaken fear that the turn of the millennium has spawned a new breed of youth super-predators who now stalk our schools, another irony is that youth themselves do not report increased fear of victimization in school. In fact, even immediately following the Columbine shootings, researchers did not find an increased fear of victimization among youth ages 12 to 18. The popular press has suggested the existence of the "Columbine Effect," or increased fear of violence in schools, but this increased fear does not seem to have touched the students as much as adults.

There have been varying policy responses implemented to reduce school violence. Perhaps the most punitive approach has been the institution of zero-tolerance policies, such as suspension or expulsion following the first violence offense. Increasingly evaluated, these policies often are determined to be inflexible and ineffective. Another popular policy is placing in schools police school resource officers who work with students to prevent and deter violence. In addition, schools may rely on electronic means to control violence, such as installation of metal detectors and surveillance cameras. Besides punitive measures, many schools instituted other measures to combat the problem. Notably, school uniform programs have been effective, although they often raise legal issues related to students' right to free expression. Finally, many schools also institute educational programs, such as conflict resolution education and hiring additional counselors.

Bibliography:

1) Addington, Lynn A., Sally A. Ruddy, Amanda K. Miller, Jill F. DeVoe, and Kathryn A. Chandler. 2002. "Are America's Schools Safe? Students Speak Out: 1999 School Crime Supplement." NCES 2002-331. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.

2) Bonilla, Denise M., ed. 2000. School Violence. New York: H. W. Wilson.

3) DeVoe, Jill F., Katharin Peter, Margaret Noonan, Thomas D. Snyder, and Katrina Baum. 2005. "Indicators of School Crime and Safety." NCES 2006-001. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.

4) Elliott, Delbert S., Beatrix A. Hamburg, and Kirk R. Williams, eds. 1998. Violence in American Schools: A New Perspective. New York: Cambridge University Press.

5) Glassner, Barry. 2000. The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things. New York: Basic Books.

6) Newman, Katherine. 2004. Rampage: The Social Roots of School Shootings. New York: Basic Books.

7) Shafii, Mohammad and Sharon Lee Shafii, eds. 2001. School Violence: Assessment, Management, Prevention. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.

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