Schools and Prevention
Student misbehavior, which includes school violence and bullying, interfere with academic achievements and is one of the major sources of teacher turnover in American schools. This article shows how schools can be organized and managed in order to minimize and prevent student misbehavior. It identifies the kinds of practices and policies they can adopt to decrease the levels of victimization, violence, substance use, and crime both in and out of schools. It considers the research conducted on the effectiveness of curriculum-based prevention programs. It then presents evidence that shows that how the school is organized and managed also influences school behavior and problem behavior. This article also discusses discipline management and school culture and explains how these can be used to reduce crime and other related problem behaviors.
