Aggression and Violence In Schools At The Elementary Level By: Beth Wagner

Definition of School Violence In defining school violence, we need to consider that violent behavior for young elementary school children consists of aggressive behaviors such as kicking, hitting, spitting, or name calling. As children grow older, behavior becomes more serious characterized by bullying, extortion and physical fighting.

The Prevalence of School Violence 1. The National Institute of Education reports that junior high students were victimized by other students at higher rates than high school students. 2. A third of junior high students in large cities said they avoided certain places at school like the rest room because they feared being victimized by a peer. 3. More than 100,000 teachers said they were threatened with physical harm and over 5,000 teachers reported being attacked each month.

Intelligence School Achievement and Social Judgment 1. Studies have documented the importance of limited intelligence and school achievement as risk factors for child aggression and violence in the elementary schools. 2. Low verbal IQ is related to poor school achievement. 3. Rejected children are more likely to escalate aggression when they are the target of teasing or taunting.

Early Onset and Stability of Aggressive Behavior 1. The NIE survey indicated that it is possible to predict which children will be aggressive and violent by their behavior in kindergarten and first grade. 2. Not all children who are identified as aggressive in elementary school will grow up to become violent adults. 3. The single best predictor of adolescent criminal behavior is a long-established pattern of early anti- social behavior.

Family Factors 1. Parents who are harsh, rejecting and neglecting also have children at higher risk for engaging in aggressive, violent behavior. 2. Parents who monitor their children effectively and who are more actively involved in their children’s school activities are more likely to have socially competent children. 3. Children who have antisocial parents are also at increased risk for delinquency and violence.

School Risk Factors 1. Large and over crowded classrooms-A major challenge consists of large schools and classrooms which make it difficult for teachers to establish meaningful relationships with individual students. 2. Overcrowded schools that have a high child-to- adult ratio make it practically impossible for teachers to effectively monitor their students behavior.

Influence of the Media Three main effects of violence in the media: 1. Children who are exposed to high levels of media violence are more accepting of attitudes and behave more aggressively with peers. 2. Chronic and long-term exposure to violence can lead to desensitization to violence and its consequences. 3. Children who watch a lot of violence on TV tend to view the world as a mean and dangerous place.

Traditional Approaches to Safety 1. Ensuring that basic safety needs are met is an essential first step in providing children with an environment conducive to learning. 2. Implementation of an effective security program. 3. The more popular approaches include installation of metal detectors at school entrances and enacting the zero tolerance policies that require automatic suspension for bringing weapons on school grounds.

Violence Prevention Programs-Three Elementary School Programs 1. The Peace Builders Program is a violence prevention program for students in grades K Children learn five simple principals: 1. Praise people, 2. Avoid put-downs, 3. Seek wise people as advisers and friends, 4. Notice and correct the hurts they cause and 5. Right wrongs. 2. Peace builders is different from most school- based programs in that it is not curriculum based, but it is meant to become “a way of life”.

2. The Second Step Program also targets young children in grades Designed to prevent aggressive behavior by increasing prosocial behavior. 2. Includes activities to help students acquire empathy, impulse control, problem-solving and anger management skills.

3. The third program-Young Ladies/ Young Gentlemen Clubs 1. Targets youths in grades 1-6 who are identified by teachers as at risk for school failure. 2. The group focuses on: problem-solving, social skills, character education and discipline. 3. Parents reported significant improvements in their children’s positive classroom behaviors and self-control after their program participation.

Impact of School Violence 1. Violence exposure at the elementary school increased from third to sixth grade behavior before declining again in eighth grade. 2. The association between school violence exposure and trauma symptoms was highest for sixth graders. 3. Third graders reported the highest level of symptom expression including; anxiety, depression, dissociation and stress related to their exposure to violence.

Effects of Bullying 1. The majority of bullying that young people experience takes place at or on the way to school. 2. Bullies usually direct their aggression towards peers but their behavior may also carry over to teachers, parents and siblings. 3. Bullies are often impulsive and have a strong need to dominate others (usually the physically weak).

Clinton To Parents: Talk To Kids About Violence 1. Bullying rampant in U.S. middle schools 2. Different kids are likely targets 3. Fun or Danger