ABSTRACT
Current interest in and focused attention on the issue of violence in schools on the part of educators, parents, students, representatives of the media, business leaders, and academicians is understandable. Recent atrocities carried out by students in public schools in Colorado, California, Arkansas, and Oregon demonstrate the abilities of alienated students acting alone or in concert to engage in predatory behavior with horrific consequences. Feelings of distress, disgust, fear, and forlornment arise and threaten to tear further at an already besieged trust and waning confidence in America’s educational system. Continued support for public education is essential for the survival of this institution considered by many to be the foundation of American democracy. Thus, developing an understanding of school violence is important and hopefully contributes to perspectives, policies, and programs that reduce or prevent the future occurrence of violent student behavior.
