Curbing Violence in Schools: Implications for Christian Educators
A safe and supportive school environment is necessary for enhancing and nurturing students’ gifts, talents and abilities. Within the last ten years, however, there has been a dramatic increase in violent confrontations within school environments around the world. There is no doubt that the well-being of students is at risk. This article explores the antecedents and etiology of violence and describes psychoeducational intervention and prevention models that can be used to reduce or prevent it. It also focuses on the collaborative roles and functions of Christian educators in significantly reducing the incidence of violence through the implementation of self-enhancing, growthproducing, and character-building programs and activities for students. Despite the warm weather, Alex is dressed in several layers of clothing, including a hooded sweatshirt and a jacket. He has felt depressed for months and has decided to do something about it. He wends his way to school with one thing on his mind. He enters the building just minutes before the bell rings to signal the start of the first period. The hallways are filled with students, teachers, and staff personnel. He slowly unbuttons his jacket and clutches his fingers around the trigger of a gun. Derek, aged 16, a newly accepted 11th grader at Stakeholders High School was repeatedly punched and kicked by five of his peers on his first day at school. They told him that all new students had to go through the ‘initiation’. He was told that if he complained to his parents or his teachers, he would be subjected to more attacks. Definition of violence Violence refers to the threat or use of physical force with the intention of causing physical injury, damage or intimidation of another person.1 There are a variety of forms of interpersonal violence, such as homicide, aggravated assault, armed robbery, and forcible rape through to shoving, pinching, hitting, and throwing objects. In each case, the intent is to harm or intimidate another human being.2 Selected school and youth violence statistics A 2005 study, “School violence and its antecedents: Interviews with high school students”, the largest of its kind ever conducted in Australia, was jointly funded by the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research and the New South Wales Department of Education and Training. The following are selective summaries of the results: 1. Frequency of attacks on school premises: Of the 2,533 students who responded, 43.9% (1,112) reported attacking another student at least once in the past 12 months. Of these, the majority had done so only once in the past 12 months. 2. Most recent attack: When? Of the 43.9% of students who reported attacking another student in the last 12 months, 21.3 % reported that this occurred in the last week and over 60% indicated that it occurred in the last 3 months. 3. Most Recent Attack: Why? The majority of respondents said that they were provoked into the attack either physically or verbally. More specifically, 26.4% said that the other person had physically attacked first, 31.8% said that they had been bullied or teased by their opponent; 11.7% said that they did not like the person, or had no reason at all as their motivation for their most recent attack on another student. 4. Most Recent Attack: What Happened? Respondents who self-reported assaulting someone were asked to indicate the way they had attacked the other person as well as how they themselves had been assaulted. Compared with their opponents, respondents were more likely to push (63% vs. 54%) and “ ” Violence involves the intent to harm or intimidate another human being Curbing violence in schools Implications for Christian educators
The Impact of Family Formation Change on the Cognitive, Social, and Emotional Well-Being of the Next Generation
How have recent changes in U.S. family structure affected the cognitive, social, and emotional well-being of the nation's children? Paul Amato examines the effects of family formation on children and evaluates whether current marriage-promotion programs are likely to meet children's needs.
Good elementary education
Abstract The aim of this study is to identify good elementary education standards that would contribute to the elimination of inequalities in the implementations regarding the utilization -and making it utilized- of the right to elemetary education. Being a descriptive one, this study attempted to identify the definitions and explanations of the right to education in universal documents by a review of literature. The study then attempted to explain the drawbacks concerning the protection and the utilization of the right to education. The study proposes some standards such as accessibility, content, operation so as to eliminate the obstacles hindering the utilization of the right to elementary education.