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How to Identify and Prevent School Violence

Sanjana is a health writer and editor. Her work spans various health-related topics, including mental health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness.

Ann-Louise T. Lockhart, PsyD, ABPP, is a board-certified pediatric psychologist, parent coach, author, speaker, and owner of A New Day Pediatric Psychology, PLLC.

Yasser Chalid / Getty Images

Recognizing the Signs of School Violence

School violence refers to violence that takes place in a school setting. This includes violence on school property, on the way to or from school, and at school trips and events. It may be committed by students, teachers, or other members of the school staff; however, violence by fellow students is the most common.

An estimated 246 million children experience school violence every year; however, girls and gender non-conforming people are disproportionately affected.

"School violence can be anything that involves a real or implied threat—it can be verbal, sexual, or physical, and perpetrated with or without weapons. If someone is deliberately harming someone or acting in a way that leaves someone feeling threatened, that‘s school violence,” says Aimee Daramus , PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist.

This article explores the types, causes, and impact of school violence and suggests some steps that can help prevent it.

Types of School Violence

School violence can take many forms. These are some of the types of school violence:

• Physical violence , which includes any kind of physical aggression, the use of weapons, as well as criminal acts like theft or arson.
• Psychological violence , which includes emotional and verbal abuse . This may involve insulting, threatening, ignoring, isolating, rejecting, name-calling, humiliating, ridiculing, rumor-mongering, lying, or punishing another person.
• Sexual violence , which includes sexual harrassment, sexual intimidation, unwanted touching, sexual coercion, and rape .
• Bullying , which can take physical, psychological, or sexual forms and is characterized by repeated and intentional aggression toward another person.
• Cyberbullying , which includes sexual or psychological abuse by people connected through school on social media or other online platforms. This may involve posting false information, hurtful comments, malicious rumors, or embarrassing photos or videos online. Cyberbullying can also take the form of excluding someone from online groups or networks.

Causes of School Violence

There often isn’t a simple, straightforward reason why someone engages in school violence. A child may have been bullied or rejected by a peer, may be under a lot of academic pressure, or may be enacting something they’ve seen at home, in their neighborhood, on television, or in a video game.

These are some of the risk factors that can make a child more likely to commit school violence:

• Poor academic performance
• Prior history of violence
• Hyperactive or impulsive personality
• Mental health conditions
• Witnessing or being a victim of violence
• Alcohol, drug, or tobacco use
• Dysfunctional family dynamic
• Domestic violence or abuse
• Access to weapons
• Delinquent peers
• Poverty or high crime rates in the community

It’s important to note that the presence of these factors doesn’t necessarily mean that the child will engage in violent behavior.

Impact of School Violence

Below, Dr. Daramus explains how school violence can affect children who commit, experience, and witness it, as well as their parents.

Impact on Children Committing Violence

Children who have been victims of violence or exposed to it in some capacity sometimes believe that becoming violent is the only way they‘ll ever be safe.

When they commit violence, they may experience a sense of satisfaction when their emotional need for strength or safety is satisfied. That‘s short-lived however, because they start to fear punishment or retribution, which triggers anger that can sometimes lead to more violence if they’re scared of what might happen to them if they don’t protect themselves. 

Children need help to try and break the cycle; they need to understand that violence can be temporarily satisfying but that it leads to more problems.

Impact on Children Victimized by School Violence

Victims of school violence may get physically injured and experience cuts, scrapes, bruises, broken bones, gunshot wounds, concussions, physical disability, or death.

Emotionally speaking, the child might experience depression , anxiety, or rage. Their academic performance may suffer because it can be hard to focus in school when all you can think about is how to avoid being hurt again.

School violence is traumatic and can cause considerable psychological distress. Traumatic experiences can be difficult for adults too; however, when someone whose brain is not fully developed yet experiences trauma, especially if it’s over a long time, their brain can switch to survival mode, which can affect their attention, concentration, emotional control, and long-term health. 

According to a 2019 study, children who have experienced school violence are at risk for long-term mental and physical health conditions, including attachment disorders, substance abuse, obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and respiratory conditions.

The more adverse childhood experiences someone has, the greater the risk to their physical and mental health as an adult.

Impact on Children Who Witness School Violence

Children who witness school violence may feel guilty about seeing it and being too afraid to stop it. They may also feel threatened, and their brain may react in a similar way to a child who has faced school violence.

Additionally, when children experience or witness trauma , their basic beliefs about life and other people are often changed. They no longer believe that the world is safe, which can be damaging to their mental health.

For a child to be able to take care of themselves as they get older, they need to first feel safe and cared for. Learning to cope with threats is an advanced lesson that has to be built on a foundation of feeling safe and self-confident.

Children who have experienced or witnessed school violence can benefit from therapy, which can help them process the trauma, regulate their emotions, and learn coping skills to help them heal.

Impact on Parents

Parents react to school violence in all kinds of ways. Some parents encourage their children to bully others, believing that violence is strength. Some try to teach their children how to act in a way that won’t attract bullying or other violence, but that never works and it may teach the child to blame themselves for being bullied. 

Others are proactive and try to work with the school or challenge the school if necessary, to try and keep their child safe. 

It can be helpful to look out for warning signs of violence, which can include:

• Talking about or playing with weapons of any kind
• Harming pets or other animals
• Threatening or bullying others
• Talking about violence, violent movies, or violent games
• Speaking or acting aggressively

It’s important to report these signs to parents, teachers, or school authorities. The child may need help and support, and benefit from intervention .

Preventing School Violence

Dr. Daramus shares some steps that can help prevent school violence:

• Report it to the school: Report any hint of violent behavior to school authorities. Tips can be a huge help in fighting school violence. Many schools allow students to report tips anonymously.
• Inform adults: Children who witness or experience violence should keep telling adults (parents, teachers, and counselors) until someone does something. If an adult hears complaints about a specific child from multiple people, they may be able to protect other students and possibly help the child engaging in violence to learn different ways.
• Reach out to people: Reach out to children or other people at the school who seem to be angry or upset, or appear fascinated with violence. Reach out to any child, whether bullied, bullying, or neither, who seems to have anxiety, depression, or trouble managing emotions. Most of the time the child won’t be violent, but you’ll have helped them anyway by being supportive.

A Word From Verywell

School violence can be traumatic for everyone involved, particularly children. It’s important to take steps to prevent it because children who witness or experience school violence may suffer physical and mental health consequences that can persist well into adulthood.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing school violence .

UNESCO. What you need to know about school violence and bullying .

UNESCO. School violence and bullying .

Nemours Foundation. School violence: what students can do .

Ehiri JE, Hitchcock LI, Ejere HO, Mytton JA. Primary prevention interventions for reducing school violence . Cochrane Database Syst Rev . 2017;2017(3):CD006347. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006347.pub2

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Understanding school violence .

Ferrara P, Franceschini G, Villani A, Corsello G. Physical, psychological and social impact of school violence on children . Italian Journal of Pediatrics . 2019;45(1):76. doi:10.1186/s13052-019-0669-z

By Sanjana Gupta Sanjana is a health writer and editor. Her work spans various health-related topics, including mental health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness.

What you need to know about school violence and bullying

Bullying in schools deprives millions of children and young people of their fundamental right to education. A recent UNESCO report revealed that more than 30% of the world's students have been victims of bullying, with devastating consequences on academic achievement, school dropout, and physical and mental health.

The world is marking the first International Day against Violence and Bullying at School Including Cyberbullying , on 5 November. Here is what you need to know about school violence and bullying.

What is school violence?

School violence refers to all forms of violence that takes place in and around schools and is experienced by students and perpetrated by other students, teachers and other school staff. This includes bullying and cyberbullying. Bullying is one of the most pervasive forms of school violence, affecting 1 in 3 young people.

What forms may school violence take?

Based on existing international surveys that collect data on violence in schools, UNESCO recognizes the following forms of school violence:

• Physical violence, which is any form of physical aggression with intention to hurt perpetrated by peers, teachers or school staff.
• Psychological violence as verbal and emotional abuse, which includes any forms of isolating, rejecting, ignoring, insults, spreading rumors, making up lies, name-calling, ridicule, humiliation and threats, and psychological punishment.
• Sexual violence, which includes intimidation of a sexual nature, sexual harassment, unwanted touching, sexual coercion and rape, and it is perpetrated by a teacher, school staff or a schoolmate or classmate.
• Physical bullying, including hitting, kicking and the destruction of property;
• Psychological bullying, such as teasing, insulting and threatening; or relational, through the spreading of rumours and exclusion from a group; and
• Sexual bullying, such as making fun of a victim with sexual jokes, comments or gestures, which may be defined as sexual ‘harassment’ in some countries.
• Cyberbullying is a form of psychological or sexual bullying that takes place online. Examples of cyberbullying include posting or sending messages, pictures or videos, aimed at harassing, threatening or targeting another person via a variety of media and social media platforms. Cyberbullying may also include spreading rumours, posting false information, hurtful messages, embarrassing comments or photos, or excluding someone from online networks or other communications.

Who perpetrates school violence?

School violence is perpetrated by students, teachers and other school staff. However, available evidence shows that violence perpetrated by peers is the most common.

What are the main reasons why children are bullied?

All children can be bullied, yet evidence shows that children who are perceived to be “different” in any way are more at risk. Key factors include physical appearance, ethnic, linguistic or cultural background, gender, including not conforming to gender norms and stereotypes; social status and disability.

What are the consequences of school violence?

Educational consequences: Being bullied undermines the sense of belonging at school and affects continued engagement in education. Children who are frequently bullied are more likely to feel like an outsider at school, and more likely to want to leave school after finishing secondary education. Children who are bullied have lower academic achievements than those who are not frequently bullied.

Health consequences: Children’s mental health and well-being can be adversely impacted by bullying. Bullying is associated with higher rates of feeling lonely and suicidal, higher rates of smoking, alcohol and cannabis use and lower rates of self-reported life satisfaction and health. School violence can also cause physical injuries and harm.

What are the linkages between school violence and bullying, school-related gender-based violence and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression?

School violence may be perpetrated as a result of gender norms and stereotypes and enforced by unequal power dynamics and is therefore referred to as school-related gender-based violence. It includes, in particular, a specific type of gender-based violence that is linked to the actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity or expression of victims, including homophobic and transphobic bullying. School-related gender-based violence is a significant part of school violence that requires specific efforts to address.

Does school-related gender-based violence refer to sexual violence against girls only?         

No. School-related gender-based violence refers to all forms of school violence that is based on or driven by gender norms and stereotypes, which also includes violence against and between boys.

Is school violence always gender-based?           

There are many factors that drive school violence. Gender is one of the significant drivers of violence but not all school violence is based on gender. Moreover, international surveys do not systematically collect data on the gendered nature of school violence, nor on violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. 

Based on the analysis of global data, there are no major differences in the prevalence of bullying for boys and girls. However, there are some differences between boys and girls in terms of the types of bullying they experience. Boys are much more exposed to physical bullying, and to physical violence in general, than girls. Girls are slightly more exposed to psychological bullying, particularly through cyberbullying. According to the same data, sexual bullying the same proportion of boys and girls. Data coming from different countries, however, shows that girls are increasingly exposed to sexual bullying online.

How does UNESCO help prevent and address school violence and bullying?

The best available evidence shows that responses to school violence and bullying that are effective should be comprehensive and include a combination of policies and interventions. Often this comprehensive response to school violence and bullying is referred to as a whole-school approach. Based on an extensive review of existing conceptual frameworks that describe that whole-school approach, UNESCO has identified nine key components of a response that goes beyond schools and could be better described as a whole-education system or whole-education approach.  These components are the following:

• Strong political leadership and robust legal and policy framework to address school violence and bullying;
• Training and support for teachers on school violence and bullying prevention and positive classroom management
• Curriculum, learning & teaching to promote, a caring (i.e. anti- school violence and bullying) school climate and students’ social and emotional skills
• A safe psychological and physical school and classroom environment
• Reporting mechanisms for students affected by school violence and bullying, together with support and referral services
• Involvement of all stakeholders in the school community including parents
• Student empowerment and participation
• Collaboration and partnerships between the education sector and a wide range of partners (other government sectors, NGOs, academia)
• Evidence: monitoring of school violence and bullying and evaluation of responses

More on UNESCO’s work to prevent and address school violence and bullying

Read UNESCO's publication Behind the numbers: Ending school violence and bullying

Photo: Eakachai Leesin/Shutterstock.com

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Article contents

School violence.

• Gordon Capp , Gordon Capp University of Southern California
• Hadass Moore , Hadass Moore University of Southern California
• Ronald Pitner , Ronald Pitner University of South Carolina
• Aidyn Iachini , Aidyn Iachini University of South Carolina
• Ruth Berkowitz , Ruth Berkowitz University of Haifa
• Ron Avi Astor Ron Avi Astor University of Southern California
•  and  Rami Benbenishty Rami Benbenishty Bar Ilan University, Israel
• https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.78
• Published online: 27 February 2017

School violence can be understood as any behavior that is intended to harm other people at schools or near school grounds. This may include bullying and victimization, or more severe forms of violence involving weapons. To respond effectively to school violence, school personnel and leaders must understand the influences on their schools that come from individuals, the surrounding community, and cultural and political spheres. Careful and ongoing assessment of the needs of any given school is also a prerequisite to effective intervention. The severity of violence, the exact location of violent acts, and how different groups on a school campus experience violence are all key details to understanding and measuring problems. With this information, schools are then able to choose intervention programs that will utilize a whole-school approach. Sometimes, existing Evidence Based Programs can address the needs of a particular school and surrounding community. Other times, schools need to either modify existing interventions or create their own to address the particular forms of violence that exist in their schools and communities.

• school violence
• victimization
• evidence-based intervention
• systematic monitoring

Introduction

Other than the home, schools are perhaps the single most important places for the overall development of children and youth. Schools promote social-emotional well-being and cognitive development necessary for success throughout the lifespan. Schools also provide opportunities for social mobility and encourage participation in a democratic society (Labaree, 1997 ). Being safe at school allows teachers, staff, and students to work together to reach academic milestones and develop social and emotional skills. Indeed, school safety is a prerequisite for staff and students to be able to engage in educational activities. A major focus of school personnel, then, is to promote safety and prevent violence in schools (Berkowitz, De Pedro, Couture, & Benbenishty, 2014 ; Cawood, 2013 ; Dupper, 2010 ; Gilreath, Astor, Estrada, Benbenishty, & Unger, 2014 ; Goodemann, Zammitt, & Hagerdorn, 2012 ; Johnson, Burke, & Gielen, 2012 ; Pitner, Astor, & Benbenishty, 2015 ; Pitner, Marachi, Astor, & Benbenishty, 2015 ).

School personnel, including teachers, administrators, counselors and social workers, can work together to shape and implement policy, interventions, and procedures that make schools safer (e.g., Astor, Capp, Moore, & Benbenishty, 2015 ; Astor, Guerra, & Van Acker, 2010 ; Benbenishty & Astor, 2005 ; Benbenishty & Astor, 2012a ; Benbenishty & Astor, 2012b ; Schiff et al., 2010 ; Schiff et al., 2012 ). School staff must therefore be aware of current empirical and theoretical issues surrounding school violence and of available effective school violence programs. This article presents an overview of a systematic approach to monitoring the needs and activities at schools that facilitate the adoption of a “whole-school” approach to school safety and the prevention of violence. Information about evidence-based programs (EBPs) or interventions is presented, along with examples of how systematic monitoring can help educators and other school personnel make school-wide decisions and changes.

School Safety, Bullying, and Violence

Recently, public attention in many countries has focused on lethal and tragic school shootings. These events dominate discussions about violence in schools and sometimes motivate drastic action relating to school safety. Events at places such as Sandy Hook and Columbine have become part of our cultural lexicon and both led to major changes in legislation and policies at many levels. Clearly, these are frightening and impactful events. However, bullying and victimization in schools are more common types of school violence. Defined as repeated psychological or physical oppression of a less powerful person by a more powerful person (Ttofi & Farrington, 2011 ), bullying has significant negative long-term and short-term effects on students, teachers, and schools. Extant literature suggests that beyond the obvious and immediate pain and suffering that accompany incidences of bullying, victims may experience psychological, behavioral, and somatic outcomes. These can include difficulty sleeping, abdominal pain, headaches, substance use, depression, loneliness, anxiety, low self-esteem, suicidal ideation, decreased academic performance, and school attendance (e.g., Espelage & Swearer, 2003 ; Schneider, O’Donnell, Stueve, & Coulter, 2012 ). The link with depression may be especially powerful, as some research suggests that the probability of being depressed long after leaving school (up to 36 years later) was much higher for children who were bullied at school compared to those who were not (Ttofi, Farrington, Losel, & Loeber, 2011 ); this effect likely occurs before students leave school as well, as students who were bullied were more likely to be depressed even after controlling for other risk factors. Cyberbulling presents equally negative results and victims of these interactions also experience multiple negative outcomes (Cassidy, Faucher, & Jackson, 2013 ).

It is important to acknowledge that students are not the only ones in schools who may experience bullying and victimization. Teachers and staff also experience victimization (Astor, Behre, Wallace, & Fravil, 1998 ; Espelage et al., 2013 ; Reddy et al., 2013 ; Ziera, Astor, & Benbenishty, 2004 ). In a recent national study of teachers, 80% reported being victimized in the last two years, and 94% of these reports indicated staff were bullied by students (McMahon et al., 2014 ). This same study indicated that teachers reported being victimized by two primary groups of perpetrators—students and parents.

School shootings and suicides are two rare, extreme, and highly publicized potential outcomes of school victimization. Teachers, administrators, social workers, school counselors, and other staff are also aware of other kinds of violence and victimization that occur in schools but do not necessarily follow the above definition of bullying, or do not result in fatalities. Many other behaviors also fall into the category of school violence or victimization and have a powerful and negative impact on students, staff, and schools, including bringing weapons to school, sexual harassment and assault, threatening students and staff, and social exclusion, either in person or through online platforms (Benbenishty & Astor, 2005 ; Benbenishty, Astor, & Estrada, 2008 ). Thus, the promotion of school safety and violence prevention needs to address a range of challenges for a variety of school stakeholders.

Definitions of school violence have varied in recent years. In this chapter, our definition reflects a consensus among researchers that school violence includes a range of intentional behaviors that aim to harm others on or around school grounds (Astor, Benbenishty, & Estrada, 2009 ; Pitner, Astor, & Benbenishty, 2015 ). We are also guided by a recent American Educational Research Association (AERA) position that bullying is “part of the larger phenomenon of violence in schools” (AERA, 2013 ). While bullying and other forms of school violence are generally results of individual behaviors, the effects of violence reach outward into schools and surrounding communities.

Socio-ecological Approach to School Violence

Programs that aim to prevent violence are largely predicated on understanding causes, risks, and protective factors that are connected to violence in schools. Bullying and violence in schools have frequently been explained by theories focused on interpersonal and intrapersonal dynamics (Hudley Britsch, Wakefield, Demorat, & Cho, 1998 ; Rocque, 2012 ). These theories depend on understanding how and why individuals engage in particular behaviors or respond in certain ways. However, other theories have emerged that utilize a socio-ecological approach to understand school violence (Benbenishty & Astor, 2005 ; Bryk, Sebring, Allensworth, Easton, & Luppescu, 2010 ; Espelage, 2014 ). These socio-ecological theories are important for understanding influences within the school and outside of the school. School organization and decision making are increasingly recognized as key factors that help schools cope with violence (e.g., Astor, Meyer, Behre, 1999 ). In some schools, readiness for change and a willingness to learn are low (Berkowitz, Bowen, Benbenishty, & Powers, 2013 , Thapa, Cohen, Guffey, & Higgins-D’Alessandro, 2013 ). In other schools, strong leadership helps to deal with external influences, including neighborhood poverty, crime, and oppression (Astor, Benbenishty, & Estrada, 2009 ).

Socio-ecological models of school violence integrate both external factors and internal characteristics and dynamics of schools. These models acknowledge that schools are nested within a community and a district, and each district is nested within a larger region, county, state, and country. Each of these ecological layers exerts some influence on the school, whether it be cultural, religious, or political influence. All of this creates a complex picture that must be understood to appropriately and effectively address school violence and victimization. This ecological understanding of a “school in context” allows school staff to consider what might be shared by schools in a particular context and what might be unique to individual schools (Benbenishty & Astor, 2012a , Benbenishty & Astor, 2012b ). This model of a school in context also assumes that the individual behaviors of students, parents, teachers and other staff members contribute to the overall safety of a school (Benbenishty & Astor, 2005 ). In addition, the surrounding community is connected to schools in this model; violence that occurs in a school, for instance, may impact the surrounding community and may also occur in the surrounding community.

Fostering an ecological perspective is especially important for school staff who are planning interventions; this allows planning an intervention to include multiple constituents (e.g., students, teachers, administrators, etc.) and to address environmental or structural changes to make schools safer. For example, knowing the times and places at a particular school that are vulnerable to violence allows school leaders and personnel to develop an intervention focusing directly on the specific challenges faced by this school. Benbenishty and Astor ( 2012b ) illustrate that interventions as simple as opening one more gate at the end of the school day, or placing a staff member at a bus station at a particular time of day, can prevent violence. In this example, the community is an important part of the school context, and interventions that address violence should not necessarily be restricted to school grounds.

Empirically Supported Prevention and Intervention Programs

This section presents examples of prevention and intervention programs that are available for schools. This is not a comprehensive list of all programs available, but we provide examples of commonly used and effective programs that help illustrate what an effective program can do for a school.

Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) Program

PATHS was designed to reduce aggression and problem behaviors and to promote social and emotional competence in grades K–5. Research and field testing has been in mainstream and special needs classes for students who are hearing-impaired, learning disabled, emotionally disturbed, mildly intellectually delayed and gifted (see Riggs, Greenberg, Kusché, & Pentz, 2006 ). PATHS focuses on five domains of student functioning: (1) friendship skills and pro-social behavior; (2) self-control; (3) emotional understanding; (4) conflict resolution and communication; and (5) problem solving skills (Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group, 2011 ). Teachers and counselors receive training, lesson modules, and ongoing consultation. PATHS also provides information and activities for parents to review and complete with their children.

Five conceptual models provide the foundation for PATHS (Greenberg, Kusché, & Mihalic, 1998 ). The first conceptual model, affective-behavioral-cognitive-dynamic (ABCD), informs developmentally appropriate skill building. The second model, an eco-behavioral system perspective, focuses on allowing the teacher to use these skills in building a healthy classroom atmosphere. The third model emphasizes the importance of neurobiology and brain organization for understanding development. The fourth model is influenced by developmental psychodynamic theory. Finally, the fifth model is based on psychological concepts of emotional awareness or emotional intelligence. These conceptual models are used in concert in the PATHS curriculum to create a comprehensive and developmentally appropriate program that addresses students’ cognition, emotion, and behavior.

Research from at least six groups across the nation has demonstrated that PATHS is a model or effective program for violence prevention. Results showed decreases in aggressive behavior, conduct problems, violent responses to social problems, and increases in emotionally expressive vocabulary, self-control, frustration tolerance, conflict-resolution strategies, and cognitive skills (SAMHSA Model Programs, 2003 ). These findings are based on teacher reports, student self-reports, and child assessments and interviews. PATHS is one of the highest-rated social-emotional learning programs, and is recognized internationally because of the strong evidence base, theoretical foundation and ease of implementation. Both the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention have also recognized PATHS for its effectiveness.

Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP)

OBPP is another school-wide, comprehensive program designed to reduce and prevent bullying in grades 1 through 9. This EBP has been translated into more than 12 languages, implemented in more than 15 countries, and is based on a systematic restructuring of a school environment. This restructuring redirects bullying behavior and rewards pro-social behaviors. The conceptual framework for this intervention is based on research on the development and modification of aggressive behavior, as well as positive child-rearing dimensions (Olweus & Limber, 2010a ). The goal of OBPP is to structure a school environment where adults are engaged, caring, set limits regarding unacceptable behavior and provide negative consequences for violence, and where adults act as authorities and positive role models (Limber, 2012 ).

The success of OBPP is largely due to the integration of these principles into the school environment. Students and adults participate in nearly all the program’s components, which means that the success of this program does not rest on a few individuals in the school. Through their involvement, and through assessments of the school, staff and parents should become aware of the extent that bullying is present in their school and understand the significance of bullying and resulting harm, as well as being active in enforcing rules and discouraging bullying behavior (Olweus & Limber, 2010a ). In many cultures, schools implementing this program have observed significant reductions in bullying, including fighting, vandalism, truancy, and theft. Beyond these reductions, student reports indicate improvements in order and discipline, attitudes toward school and school work, and social relationships (Limber, 2012 ; Olweus & Limber, 2010a ).

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

PBIS is a comprehensive, proactive, whole-school intervention that was designed to create positive school environments, promote student success, and reduce student problem behaviors in elementary, middle, and high schools. Guided by principles from applied behavioral analysis, the PBIS model consists of teaching, modeling, and reinforcing pro-social or desired behaviors (Horner et al., 2009 ). PBIS utilizes three levels of intervention within each school: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary intervention includes teaching, modeling, and reinforcing behavior and expectations for all students. For example, a school-wide token system might be used to reinforce specific prosocial behaviors. Secondary level interventions are intended for either specific school settings, like a cafeteria or hallway, or for students who continue to be at risk for problem behaviors after primary level intervention. Tertiary level interventions are individualized for students with chronic behavioral problems (Pugh & Chitiyo, 2012 ). One critical aspect of PBIS involves the ongoing collection of data in order to monitor progress, solve problems, and make decisions about behavioral challenges in schools (Solomon, Tobin, & Schutte, 2015 ). Several studies show that PBIS implementation, utilizing a school-wide model and associated monitoring, is effective for reducing problem behaviors in schools (Bradshaw et al., 2012 ; Horner, Sugai, & Anderson, 2010 ; Horner et al., 2009 ; Molly, Moore, Trail, Van Epps, & Hopfer, 2013 ; Szu-Yin, 2015 ).

Characteristics of Successful Interventions

The three programs presented above provide examples of successful interventions for bullying and school violence. Some researchers posit that there are characteristics that are the foundation for effective interventions (Pitner, Astor, & Benbenishty, 2015 ). Pitner et al. ( 2015 ) examined evidence-based violence prevention/intervention programs and note that successful school-wide interventions share core characteristics: (1) they are comprehensive interventions enacted in all ecological layers of a school community; (2) they raise awareness, investment, and responsibility from students, teachers, and parents regarding the types of violence in schools (e.g., fighting, sexual harassment, weapons); (3) they establish clear expectations and rules for the whole school; (4) they increase supervision and monitoring outside of classrooms; (5) they use faculty, staff, and parents to plan, implement and sustain the intervention; (6) they often fit naturally into the flow and routines of the school; (7) they create clear expectations and procedures before, during, and after incidences of violence, and (8) they include continuous monitoring in order for schools to tailor interventions to their unique environments and thus increase the potential for success (Pitner et al., 2015 ). The complexity of these characteristics and the number of evidence-based school violence interventions available for schools to use raise important questions. Perhaps the most pressing question is: How do school staff decide which program is the best fit for their school?

Selecting the Right EBP for a School

As school leaders look for programs to address violence and bullying, it is important that they search for interventions with strong empirical support. Model programs with large-scale research studies demonstrating their effectiveness have a better chance of working in schools (Marachi, Astor, & Benbenishty, 2013 ). One important consideration, though, is to determine whether or not a particular violence prevention program will be as effective in one particular school as it was elsewhere (Shlonsky & Benbenishty, 2014 ). Thus, schools need to ensure that any intervention matches the resources, needs, and values of a school and the surrounding community.

Often, evidence-based programs that address school violence or bullying are introduced to schools through “top-down” approaches, with little or no attention to variations that exist in local school contexts (Pitner et al., 2015 ). This approach has important limitations to consider. Each school has unique sociocultural influences, a unique school climate, and may not share the same problems or the same severity of problems with other schools that are implementing the same intervention. Thus, implementing a single program to address school violence in schools that have different needs is unlikely to adequately and effectively address issues of violence. All of this indicates that any adoption of an intervention needs to be preceded by a careful assessment of a school’s problems, values, needs, and available resources. There may already be staff members, such as teachers, school social workers, school counselors, or principals who are particularly suited to assessing a school’s needs. Based on their experience and professional training, staff members may have valuable information that enables them to assess needs and problems in their schools. This preliminary assessment would indicate the suitability of implementing an EBP in a school or district. Furthermore, even though fidelity is a crucial component for effective EBP implementation, evidence suggests that programs require some adjustment to fit with local contexts (Sundell & Ferrer-Wreder, 2014 ). Thus, it is appropriate to identify these adjustments that allow a particular program to retain its effective components, while tailoring it to the needs of a school. Again, one challenge for schools is finding people that are available to do this work; schools can designate a staff member or create a multiprofessional committee of school staff to focus on this process. In addition, school social workers and school counselors may be an especially valuable resource for these activities (Franklin & Kelly, 2009 ).

One important element of choosing an intervention, then, is a careful and accurate assessment of the target school, and the identification of specific violence issues that a school may be facing. In some places, discrimination-based violence or conflict between groups may be the most salient issue, other schools may have problems with social exclusion, and still others could experience high levels of weapon use and gang activity. Along with an assessment of what problems exist, there should be consideration of what the school community views as a priority. This information becomes the foundation for choosing an EBP and making any necessary adjustments.

It is possible that after a thorough assessment is completed, and after available EBPs are examined, existing programs may not be the best fit for a school. Sometimes schools or school districts have developed “grass-roots” programs or interventions that seem promising but do not have empirical evidence. Despite this lack of evidence, these programs are still implemented and sometimes yield promising results. It is essential to document these programs and monitor their effectiveness. Whether a school implements an EBP or a locally developed grass root intervention, it is essential to assess the outcomes of such implementation. Like any other intervention, data is needed to assess whether these programs are meeting the needs of schools and communities. In the following sections, systematic monitoring is presented as a way of continually assess schools and their needs.

One additional caveat is warranted here as well. In many schools, school social workers or counselors may be available to oversee the assessment of a school and subsequent evaluation of whether a particular school safety/violence intervention is effective. This is not true in all schools though. One challenge then is who will do the work to gather this information. Given that whole-school interventions are critical, and that buy-in is important from all stakeholders, it is important for schools to collaboratively develop ways to gather this information.

Systematic Monitoring as a Method and Process

Merely implementing a violence prevention program is not enough to ensure long-term success. Using data in an ongoing and interactive manner is important for successful interventions and continuous improvement (Astor, Benbenishty, Estrada, 2009 ; Astor, Rosemond, Pitner, & Marachi, 2006 ; Benbenishty & Astor, 2007 ; Benbenishty & Astor, 2012a ; Benbenishty & Astor, 2005 ; Benbenishty, Astor, & Estrada, 2008 ). Data collected during the process of assessment and intervention can be used for many purposes: to build awareness; motivate and mobilize constituents; assess the extent of problems; monitor the implementation of interventions, and evaluate their success. School-specific data should continually be provided to various groups throughout assessment and implementation. This way, schools can identify their needs, strengths, resources, and limitations. School communities can then discuss and choose how to work toward achieving their goals.

Toward this end, systematic monitoring is a way of using data. Schools are dynamic organizations that change constantly, and systematic monitoring is a way to continually assess and share with school constituents what is happening with issues of violence or bullying. Ongoing collection and sharing of data creates a “whole school” approach to understanding and addressing a problem. Part of the assumption is that tailoring an intervention to a school requires some grassroots participation from all stakeholders, and empowers students and teachers to deal with the problem. Pitner et al. ( 2015 ) extend these ideas and argue that democracy is an important element of violence prevention and that schools should champion a “proactive vision” about violence problems. For example, school staff can work with students to create maps of their school and mark places and times that are more dangerous to particular groups of students. Students and staff can then discuss the results of this activity and explore reasons that these trouble spots exist and then collaborate to find solutions (Pitner et al., 2015 ). Given the importance of local influence, and the unique dynamics of individual schools, the implementation of interventions is expected to be slightly different at each school site.

What makes systematic monitoring valuable is the customized contextual information for any given school. For example, describing the frequency of certain behaviors at one specific point in time, and then over an extended period, can be understood as the first step in using systematic monitoring. Then, schools can compare this information within and between settings. In selecting and adopting a violence prevention/intervention program, it is necessary to determine which kinds of violence are more prevalent and problematic, as well as which grade levels experience more victimization. Recent media attention and research emphasizes the importance of understanding how different vulnerable groups experience violence. Gendered violence (Carrington, 2013 ; Oliver, Soler, & Flecha, 2009 ), racism, sexism, and homophobia continue to put particular groups of people at risk for increased violence (Peguero & Williams, 2013 ). There are many vulnerable groups in any school, and issues of gender, race, and religion are key areas of study and are the focus of research around the world (Benbenishty & Astor, 2012a ; DeBarbieux, Blaya, & Vidal, 2003 ; Oliver et al., 2009 ; Smith, 2004 ). These considerations may seem like common sense, but systematic information often remains elusive for schools. In the United States, schools frequently purchase and implement expensive violence programs without understanding the nature of problems in their schools. This can lead to difficulties in implementation and subsequent evaluation. For instance, if the problem was not clearly established, it will be difficult to determine whether an intervention was effective.

Much of the discussion in this article has addressed the importance of monitoring for school-based decisions. There are many advantages when monitoring is conducted similarly and consistently across levels (e.g., districts, regions, and even states). Schools that are part of a multilevel system can compare themselves to other schools. This perspective is important both for assessing the presence of violence and in evaluating changes that may come from an intervention. Further, resources and experiences can be easily shared between schools within a particular system, including locally developed interventions or adjustments made to existing EBPs. Multilevel monitoring is also an important tool for generating policy and research. These systems allow researchers and educators to identify schools and particular student groups that may be doing better or worse than others and then to consider reasons for these discrepancies and adjust practices and policies accordingly. As data accumulates over time, research can examine longitudinal trends and changes that help schools understand and address changes in populations, identify trends related to violence and bullying, and lead to better interventions.

Applications of Systematic Monitoring

Using monitoring to address bullying, school safety, and weapon use.

Previous research from the United States, Israel, France, and other countries describes in detail how systematic monitoring can be used to collect and interpret data from multiple ecological layers (see Benbenishty & Astor, 2012b ; Astor, Benbenishty, Wong, & Jacobson, 2014 ), and to quantify and explore issues of concern in particular communities or regions (Astor, 2013a ; Astor, 2013b ; Astor & Benbenishty, 2014 ; Berkowitz et al., 2014 ; Cederbaum et al., 2013 ; Cederbaum et al., 2014 ; De Pedro, Esqueda, Cederbaum, & Astor, 2014 ; Esqueda et al., 2014 ; Gilreath, Astor, Cederbaum, Atuel, & Benbenishty, 2013 ; Gilreath, Cederbaum et al., 2013 ; Gilreath, Estrada et al., 2014 ; Gilreath, Astor et al., 2014 ). In the United States, for example, 145 schools used monitoring data and identified the following areas of concern that required intervention: bullying, school safety, weapon use, and substance use (Astor, Benbenishty, Wong, & Jacobson, 2014 ). Data collected from students were provided to each principal and vice principal, along with members of the teaching staff for each school. These data included comparisons to other student reports from their districts, regions, and the state. Each school then chose various EBPs to implement for their particular school needs. Among the interventions chosen and implemented were: the OBPP, Second Step, Student-to-Student, Safe School Ambassadors, and Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) (Astor, Benbenishty, Wong, & Jacobson, 2014 ). Other schools implemented grassroots interventions developed with the surrounding community. As schools were part of a multilevel monitoring system, many school sites shared successful programing and interventions. In addition, schools were able to support the sustained implementation of programs by utilizing military, community, and university resources.

Systematic Monitoring to Address Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors

One area where systematic monitoring has been applied to address widespread concerns is suicide. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that in 2013 , 17% of 9th to 12th grade students seriously considered suicide, and that nearly 14% of 9th to 12th graders made a plan about how they would attempt suicide (CDC, 2015 ). In a research project in California, secondary schools received information containing student reports of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation (Astor, Benbenishty, Wong, & Jacobson, 2014 ; Benbenishty, 2014 ; Benbenishty & Astor, 2012a ; Benbenishty & Astor, 2012b ; Gilreath Estrada et al., 2014 ; Gilreath et al., 2015 ). Consistent with principles of systematic monitoring, schools received information about their own students and comparisons with other schools in their district and across the state. The rates of suicidal ideation surprised some administrators and teachers, but the ability to compare their schools to other schools in the region allowed them to see that students in nearby schools were reporting similar experiences. Additionally, when administrators examined subgroups of students, they discovered that military-connected students (those with siblings and/or parents serving in the military) had higher rates of suicidal ideation than other groups of students (Astor, Benbenishty, Wong, & Jacobson, 2014 ; Benbenishty, 2014 ; Cederbaum et al., 2013 ). Educators could use such information to seek interventions that would address general concerns about suicidal ideation in students and to hone interventions in specific regions to target military-connected students.

Current concerns about school accountability systems that may penalize rather than support schools can lead to a reluctance to participate in monitoring. These examples about suicidal ideation and violence provide a potent alternative viewpoint to the positive and empowering use of data and monitoring systems. The same principles and ideas are applicable to concerns about school violence. When school communities are given the opportunity to see information about their students, they can take meaningful action. School district personnel, county organizations, and parent groups can organize and share resources to find ways to provide needed supports for schools and their students. The ability to understand the scope of the problem and the relevance to specific schools is necessary to build coalitions and expand a school’s capacity to deal with various challenges.

Implications for Schools and Educators

School violence remains a pervasive concern for schools around the world, and coordinated efforts are necessary to make meaningful changes in how school communities address violence and other problems. While concerns about violence are pervasive, every school is different. Some of these differences are obvious, including schools in different countries and on different continents. Culture, religion, socioeconomic status and ethnicity also influence the dynamics within a school, and may vary within a country, city, district or even a school. The socio-ecological model addressed in this chapter helps to frame the importance of understanding the influences that surround a school (Benbenishty & Astor, 2005 ). A school’s surrounding community, including the influence of culture and religion or socioeconomic status, is a key influence on the behaviors of individuals who attend the school. Thus, interventions to address dynamics and interactions within a school necessarily must consider the surrounding community and influences.

Whole-school interventions are powerful and effective ways to address violence and victimization, and require the participation of all people who work in any given school. The EBPs presented in this article require different behaviors from everyone involved in these interventions, meaning that it is not merely one act of violence that is targeted but that the school’s mission in general is shifted. This kind of large-scale change is difficult and complicated by the already rigorous demands for teachers and school staff.

Given the complexity of school communities, the nature of violence, and the demands of interventions, it is even more important that decision makers understand the nature of problems in their schools, and the relevant context. Just responding to violence in a school is not enough. Instead, school leaders and stakeholders must have access to data that allows them to hone in on specific problems experienced by specific groups of people in their schools. It is then possible to assess whether violence and victimization have decreased.

When everyone in a school—including administrators, teachers, staff, parents, and students—clearly understand the scope and severity of violence and other problems, they can work together to find solutions. This requires a conceptual and practical shift and the adaptation to “whole-school” approaches for all staff members and stakeholders. This process will allow for the understanding of the different strengths and possible contributions of each member, while also encompassing the nested nature of schools in districts and regions. Using systematic monitoring to gather and share data allows a school community to pursue a shared mission of a nonviolent, safe environment where social, emotional, and academic progress are fostered.

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How to Prevent School Violence Essay

Introduction, selected solutions to school violence.

Today no special mechanism is standard for preventing school violence due to diversity in social status, economical status, and location. Schools implement various measures to prevent violence such as warning signals, checklists and, policies for zero tolerance but the dangers still persists, because some of these measures end up exacerbating the issue.

Hypothetically, the school-based violence has a close link to poverty, which is the key factor for discontent and frustration and consequently the anger especially in developing nation. Other cases have a close link to the experiences and development. The domestic violence also has a close link to behavioural and learning problems.

During development, a child may feel the need for retaliation. Other possible sources may include discrimination, the societal background, the common school drug related problems, cultural imagery on the television and audio shows, materialism, competitiveness and lack of identity.

A good example of the school violence is the April 16, 2007 tragedy at Virginia Tech University, which remains a big sear for the hearts of those who were directly involved as well as those affected such as the victims’ families or friends. On that terrible day, the struggling loss of lives due to one disturbed young man make many people ask what made Cho to act in a beastly manner like he did, and likewise, what can be done to prevent such kind of massacre form happening again.

According to Hauser of “The New York Times” newspaper on the day of the tragedy, thirty-three people were involved in a mass murder at the university after one of the student: Cho went round the bend to a shooting rampage, in a close link to the reports made by federal law enforcement officials at the site. Many of the victims were students shot in classrooms and dorms.

In a close link to Feldman (2009), we can only stop inquiring ways of preventing such scenarios or why they occur if we realize that all the requirements for prevention are within reach. There is need for commitment over the facts and full transparency concerning logical understanding.

The universities need to be on the forefront in ensuring they are well equipped with required facilities to handle health related matters. This may include the student’s counselling centres, mental health programs or support groups, procedures for making referrals and, emergency psychiatric services to encourage students to seek and share feelings before they are out of hand.

There is an urgent need for the educators and parents to have the initiatives of pursuing this issue through a coordinated procedure. It is possible to implement the violence prevention programs based on the specific school setups through solicited funds and, the government or sponsors grants.

Secondly, it is promising to utilize the intelligent and well-planned campaigns to stop the violence issue and thus the need for proper and critical considerations over such crusades. This is an awareness program to fight violence especially among the teenagers.

Teachers need to consider the strategy of enhancing the responsibility aspects in the minds of the learners in the effort of making them understand the importance of stopping the violence at all costs. The learners should know that the act is illegal and immoral. Today the youth have tightly embraced the extremely dynamic and advancing technology.

This means that the “websites, television and radio programs, public service announcements are some vital aspects the campaigns against violence in schools ought to focus” (Prinstein and Dodge, 2008).

The government/sponsors also need to tighten use of technology as a teaching aid through ample sponsorship since the youth are today highly conversant with technology. Learning programs or curriculums should avail access to information on bullying prevention and support implementation of activities that support unity at school or community level.

Violence in schools is an act that erodes the learning atmosphere by impairing the teaching and learning processes. The act is very tactless to individual inner being or conscious and thus often lead to short-term and long-term consequences such as suicide and homicide as experienced at the Virginia Tech a couple of years back. For this reason, it is the responsibility of every person to work aggressively to reduce the wicked act.

According to Webb and Terr (2007), healthy and productive education process cannot occur in an environment full of fear. All students have a right to a safe learning environment without the worry of attendance for the fear of unfriendly treatments or worst still abusive acts.

The educators cannot fully depend on the government to solve all the cases or provide full protection. It would therefore be wise for everyone in the society to take initiative and commit to the issue. This can highly reduce or better still demise of the offense and the schools will thus be safe and enjoyable for everyone.

Feldman, R.S. (2009) Discovering the Life Span . (First Ed). Pearson/Prentice Hall Publishers.

Hauser, Christine. (2007). Virginia Tech Shooting . The New York Times. Web.

Prinstein M and Dodge K, (2008), Understanding Peer Influence in Children and Adolescents. Guilford Press publishers, P. 239.

Webb N and Terr L, (2007), Play Therapy with Children in Crisis: Individual, Group, and Family Treatment. Guilford Press publishers, P. 251.

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Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Youth Violence — Violence in Schools: Causes and Effects

Analysis of The Cause and Effect of School Violence

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Violence in schools (essay)

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School Violence - Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

School violence encompasses physical violence, bullying, and any other form of aggressive behavior in educational settings. Essays on school violence could explore the psychological, social, and systemic factors contributing to violent behaviors, prevention and intervention strategies, and the impacts on academic and social outcomes for students. Moreover, discussions might delve into policy implications, community involvement, and global comparisons of school violence prevention programs. We’ve gathered an extensive assortment of free essay samples on the topic of School Violence you can find at PapersOwl Website. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

Growing Problem of School Violence

School Violence has been something that has changed the way we experience school. School violence has been something that's been going on for a long time. School violence has been happening around the world and has just changed the way our safety is at school. School violence is very dangerous and very deadly. In this case school violence may refer to school shootings, stabbings, bullying, sexual harassment , fights and or any harm that causes harm to anyone in the […]

Be Aware of School Violence

Violence in school is a big problem, there should be no reason our kids should be scared to come to school; according to the CDC, kids grades K-12th are constantly at risk of potential violent outbreaks from gang memberships, hazing, peer pressure, and drug usage. Cyber-bullying  has been a popular cause with the rise of technology and social platforms in the past few years; usually the culprit to the war between social acceptance. Mostly teens resort to being included in […]

Gerard Jones’ Biased Evaluation of Violence in Media

In the essay "Violent Media Is Good for Kids", Gerard Jones is arguing that violent media is more beneficial than harmful to children. In his essay, Jones explains how it is important for children to have a medium in which they can express their feelings in, instead of repressing them deep within themselves. Jones maintains that children need an outlet to release feelings that they tend to suffocate within themselves, because society has made rage and other feelings such as; […]

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Dealing with School-Based Weapon Violence

Weapon-based violence in school can be traced back to the 19th century. According to an article by Matthew Pearl, the very first school shooting occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1840 when a student named Joseph Semmes shot professor John Anthony who after three days had died from his injuries. In this case, the trend shows that violence was more common because violence was what slaveholders used against their slaves. Thus from 1840 to 1966 there were only small casualties at […]

Problem of Violence in Schools

Some ways we could stop school violence. The first thing we could do is to take guns away from households that have kids at an impressionable age. Something else we could do is show young kids the effects of bullying, not just emphasize that "you will hurt other people's feelings and make them sad." While we obviously need to teach young kids how to be kind, this message needs to be modified in a way that they can understand. We […]

Tragedy and the Meaning of School Shootings

""The phenomenon referred to as ""school shootings"" pertains mainly to those shootings where the school is deliberately chosen as the site of violence, the violence is perpetrated by a current or former student, and the targets are chosen symbolically or at random with the intention of causing as many deaths as possible"" (Travers, McDonagh & Elklit, 2018). One of the most recent concerns in education today is school safety protocols to prohibit an intruder. Over the past few decades, school […]

Effects of School Shootings

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Students Violence in Moroccan High Schools

Teachers’ perceptions of Students’  Violence in Moroccan High school Introduction School violence is an educational psychological issue that has seen a considerable increase over the last decade. School violence is an activity that causes a dispute in the educational setting. It encompasses verbal and physical altercation. Besides, it is bullying through electronic ways or social media, threats, weapon use, or gang activity .School Violence can be defined as a physical or verbal harm inside the school, on the way to […]

Effects of Multi Media on Violence in School

School violence on students can cause psychological and physical pain. The physical pain they get can cause them to be hospitalized. Sometimes that school violence cause students to shoot up schools. People's aggressive behavior increased watching aggressive programs on TV. Students that watch aggressive TV show start to become tougher and less emotional. TV mainly effect students because in the show they watch they become aggressive with other people. Research has also shown that the viewers who watch violent shows […]

Gun Violence and the Second Amendment

According the Cornell Law Studies Institute, the second amendment states, "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The Second Amendment of the constitution is one of the most misunderstood and confusing sentences in the history of America. The 27-word sentence has a partial collectivist ora while still maintaining the individualistic right to keep and bear arms. Before discussing the reasons behind […]

Issues of Violence in Schools

With an increased rate in juvenile delinquency, I chose to discuss the violence in schools; underlining the root of the issue, what policies are currently in place, and what steps are needed to create a more effective policy to resolve the issue. Some of the risk factors of school and youth violence come from prior history of violence, drug, alcohol and tobacco use, association with delinquent peers, poor family function, poor grades in school and poverty in the community.  "Data […]

Violence Caused by Media

Literature Review Violence in media such as, in television, video games, or movies has raised a substantial amount of concern regarding its effects on certain populations. Media violence portrays various graphic images and scenes that convey criminal acts or horror-like graphics such as, blood. Through studies of violence in mass media, there has been a correlation between themes of violence in media sources with real-world aggression and violence over time. Many social scientists have been able to support this correlation. […]

Gang Violence in Schools

Violence in schools, particularly gang violence, has increased in the past XX years (citation). Gang membership was once considered an issue only facing urban inner-city schools, however, gangs are now spread throughout suburban neighborhoods (Sharkey, 2011). Research has found that gang membership among students can significantly impact educational, social and emotional attainment (citation). In schools, minority children are the primary perpetrators of violence (Soriano & Soriano, 1994), including gang violence; however, this does not indicate that a student's ethnic and […]

Rise of School Shootings

School shootings have been on the rise and are more prevalent than ever before. "In less than 18 years, we have already seen more deaths related to school shootings than in the whole 20th century. One alarming trend is that the overwhelming majority of 21st-century shooters were adolescents, suggesting that it is now easier for them to access guns, and that they more frequently suffer from mental health issues or limited conflict resolution skills,". (Katsiyannis et al., 2018) This leaves […]

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Does Multi Media have an Impact on Violence in Schools

Instagram, snapchat, facebook etc... are forms of social media, a place where young teens and children can go on to express themselves. At first, it was a positive and safe space where everybody can go onto and say/do whatever they wanted. Now problems such as cyberbullying, distraction, depression and even narcissism has arised out of technology. Social medias are a great platform to raise awareness and explore self expression but it is also a place where bullies can anonymously troll […]

Witnessing Violence in High School Predicts Student Impairment

The University of Montreal recently completed a longitudinal research study to determine if there is a correlation between witnessing school violence and future behavior impairment. They also looked at if the correlations depended on what kind of violence was observed. The researchers hypothesized that "witnessing violence will be associated with psychosocial impairment risk and will be proportional to the observed intensity." (Janosz et al., 2018) This study provided information about the outcomes of school violence which had not been looked […]

Horror of Violence in Schools

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An Analysis of Violence in Public Schooling

The foundation of a child's life is their education and the experience they had. A child's life can be drastically altered by the events that take place during their schooling years. Many forms of violence are in public schools and are disrupting the lives of the students. With all of these incidents in the news, students are becoming desensitized to it all. From school fights, shootings, and teen suicides. Growing up and being a student is already a hard task, […]

Significance of School Uniform – why it should be Required

More often than we may know, people struggle to feel comfortable in clothing for the fear that they will be judged. That is why uniform is a perfect solution. It is a great way to avoid any issues associated with fashionable preferences among individuals. Students encounter these difficulties from when they pick out clothes to showing up at school with their choice of clothing. The use of uniforms increase the attention of students as they are not concerned with other’s […]

The Unique Burial of a Child of Early Scythian Time at the Cemetery of Saryg-Bulun (Tuva)

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Pages:  379-406

In 1988, the Tuvan Archaeological Expedition (led by M. E. Kilunovskaya and V. A. Semenov) discovered a unique burial of the early Iron Age at Saryg-Bulun in Central Tuva. There are two burial mounds of the Aldy-Bel culture dated by 7th century BC. Within the barrows, which adjoined one another, forming a figure-of-eight, there were discovered 7 burials, from which a representative collection of artifacts was recovered. Burial 5 was the most unique, it was found in a coffin made of a larch trunk, with a tightly closed lid. Due to the preservative properties of larch and lack of air access, the coffin contained a well-preserved mummy of a child with an accompanying set of grave goods. The interred individual retained the skin on his face and had a leather headdress painted with red pigment and a coat, sewn from jerboa fur. The coat was belted with a leather belt with bronze ornaments and buckles. Besides that, a leather quiver with arrows with the shafts decorated with painted ornaments, fully preserved battle pick and a bow were buried in the coffin. Unexpectedly, the full-genomic analysis, showed that the individual was female. This fact opens a new aspect in the study of the social history of the Scythian society and perhaps brings us back to the myth of the Amazons, discussed by Herodotus. Of course, this discovery is unique in its preservation for the Scythian culture of Tuva and requires careful study and conservation.

Keywords: Tuva, Early Iron Age, early Scythian period, Aldy-Bel culture, barrow, burial in the coffin, mummy, full genome sequencing, aDNA

Information about authors: Marina Kilunovskaya (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail: [email protected] Vladimir Semenov (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail: [email protected] Varvara Busova  (Moscow, Russian Federation).  (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences.  Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Kharis Mustafin  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Technical Sciences. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Irina Alborova  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Biological Sciences. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Alina Matzvai  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected]

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