Involving Students in School Violence Prevention

Averting School Rampage

“…One student bystander did not come forward because he found school authorities “too judgmental,” while another student indicated that he did not tell anyone about the gun he knew was on school property because he anticipated getting into trouble or being interrogated for stepping forward (Pollack et al, 2008, p. 12). This finding is backed up by research confirming the positive correlation between cohesive, supportive, and trusting school climates and student willingness to report threats of violence in both middle and high schools (Brank et al, 2007; Brinkley & Saarnio, 2006; Fein et al, 2002; Syvertsen et al, 2009; Wylie et al, 2010) and college settings (Sulkowski, 2011).…”

“…In addition to asserting the significance of Columbine as a watershed event easing the stigma against students who come forward, there was near unanimity about the appropriate methods to weaken the student code of silence; nearly all of the school and police officials expressed a firm belief in forging cohesive, supportive, and trusting school environments—views very much in sync with existing scholarship (Brank et al, 2007; Brinkley & Saarnio, 2006; Fein et al, 2002; Sulkowski, 2011; Syvertsen et al, 2009; Wylie et al, 2010). Almost without exception, respondents noted the importance of fostering an atmosphere where “students care about their school” because they “feel involved and part of the community,” and “students feel supported” and “know they can trust the adults in the building” because of “predictable and consistent” “close relationships” of “dignity and mutual respect.”…”

“…Plentiful empirical evidence (such as Brank et al, 2007; Brinkley & Saarnio, 2006; Eliot, Cornell, Gregory, & Fan, 2010; Fein et al, 2002; Sulkowski, 2011; Syvertsen et al, 2009; Wylie et al, 2010) exists to indicate the relationship between cohesive, supportive, and trusting school climates and positive student bystander behavior, and so the problem is not so much that scholars and educators mistake the importance of a beneficial school climate. Rather, the problem is that they are largely mischaracterizing the current atmosphere of American public schools.…”

The Code of Silence in Schools

“…Other research considers students’ perceptions of the school environment. Brinkley and Saarnio (2006) find that almost 75% of students would tell an adult if they knew a student brought a weapon to school or threatened someone with a weapon, and they are more willing to tell when they have favorable views of student–teacher relations. Research also indicates that students are more willing to report a peer’s plan to “do something dangerous” if they perceive that the authority structure in the school is more democratic, students share a sense of solidarity, and they feel a stronger sense of belonging (Syvertsen et al, 2009).…”

Peer Victimization and Adolescent Adjustment: Does School Belonging Matter?

“…Past research has linked perceptions of the school climate to feelings of school safety, such that students who endorse low levels of school belonging are more likely to feel unsafe at school (Derosier & Newcity, 2005). In addition, students who feel alienated from the school community may be less likely to report, or attempt to intervene in, instances of school victimization, perpetuating a culture of victimization in school (Brinkley & Saarnio, 2006). …”