Handbook of School Violence

Edwin R. Gerler (2013). Hoboken, NY: Taylor & Francis. ISBN:9780789016232 eISBN:9781136401688

This edited handbook — which addresses the causes of school violence, the prevention of school violence, and interventions in cases of school violence — provides valuable practical information for school counsellors and guidance officers. Each of the three sections of the handbook provides an introduction to the section as well as a summary of current understandings within the specific domain. Chapters that will likely be of particular interest to readers of the AJGC are: School Violence in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Current Interventions (Chapter 3) by Stacey Scheckner, Stephen Rollin, Cheryl Kaiser-Ulrey and Richard Wagner; School Crisis Interventions: Strategies for Addressing the Consequences of Crisis Events (Chapter 10) by Stephen Brock and Shane Jimerson; and Support Services Following a Shooting at School: Lessons Learned Regarding Response and Recovery (Chapter 11) by Robert McGlenn and Shane Jimerson. Of further interest to AJGC readers, the editor provides an annotated listing of internet sites (located in the United Kingdom, France and the United States) that contributed to his thinking while developing the handbook with colleagues, all of whom are located within the United States. Gerler also offers an opportunity to purchasers of the handbook to join an internet forum (http://genesislight.com/hsv%20files) where scholars and practitioners can collaborate to continue developing strategies as well as online and print products for school violence prevention and intervention.

Rethinking School Violence: Theory, Gender, Context

Sue Saltmarsh, Kerry Robinson, and Cristyn Davies (2012). Rethinking school violence: Theory, gender, context. London: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN: 9780230576698 eISBN: 9781137015211

This collection of essays, edited and written by academics in Australia, South Africa and the United States, has taken a sociocultural approach to understanding violence in schools. The book is comprised of three sections — school violence in context; gender and school violence; and language, representation and practice — and concludes with a powerful chapter written by the editors that calls for a rethinking of school violence that involves moving beyond student behaviour and prevention or management strategies to a consideration of the complex interplay among contextual factors such as social and cultural norms, institutional norms, gender and power relations. Across the 10 chapters, the authors address both practical implications as well the need for practitioners and researchers to consider schooling environments and the norms that govern experiences and understandings within these environments.

Issues in School Violence Research

Rusell Skiba, Gale Morrison, Michael Furlong, and Dewey Gene Cornell (2013). Hoboken, NY: Taylor & Francis. ISBN: 9780789025791 eISBN: 9781136428005

This text includes an introduction to issues in school violence research and eight articles originally published in the Journal of School Violence in 2004. The editors assert that researchers in the domain of school violence need to develop a shared understanding of methodology and measurement if ongoing research is to make a significant contribution to the field. In particular, the editors raise concerns about the use of student self-reports as well as the critical need to move beyond the ‘social problem era’ of school violence research. Topics covered by the text include school-level warning signs, student perceptions of school safety, the use of school office records in research, the identification of bullies and victims, issues of reliability and validity in using surveys to examine high-risk behaviours and bullying, and the possession of weapons.

• • weapon possession

• • using office referral records in school violence research

• • identification of bullies and victims

• • data quality issues in student risk behavior surveys

• • extreme response bias patterns for youth risk behavior surveys

• • the structure of student perceptions of school safety

• • and much more!

Journal of School Violence

This peer-reviewed journal now published by Taylor and Francis was established in 2002. The journal, currently edited by Professor Michael Furlong (University of California, Santa Barbara) publishes four issues each year. In 2013, there have already been two special issues released, Maintaining Safe and Responsive Schools for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Youths (Volume 12, Issue 1) and Bullying Research Network (Volume 12, Issue 3). Articles in Issue 2 include a position statement in relation to the 2012 Connecticut school shooting, as well as five articles that span a range of topics. Readers of the AJGC will likely find the paper by Amy Tillery and her colleagues, ‘The Importance of Adult Connections in Adolescents’ Sense of School Belonging: Implications for Schools and Practitioners’, of considerable interest. The authors consider a number of barriers to adult connections (including the organisational structure of schools, instructional practices and discipline policies) as well as school initiatives that can enhance adult connections (such as small learning communities, school development programs, and positive behaviour support). The authors conclude that there is compelling evidence for the positive impact that connections with adults can have on adolescents’ motivation, academic competence, sense of belonging, and psychological wellbeing.

National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)

Finally, we'd like to draw your attention to the resources made available to the public by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) for the purposes of promoting ‘the ability of children and youth to cope with traumatic or unsettling events’. NASP notes that the information may be adapted or reproduced without prior permission as long as the integrity of the content is maintained and NASP is cited appropriately. Resources in relation to School Safety and Crisis can be retrieved from http://www.nasponline.org/resources/crisis_safety/. Topics that may be of particular interest to AJGC readers include School Safety/Violence (e.g., ‘Framework for Safe and Successful Schools and Preventing School Violence: A plan for Safe and Engaging Schools’), Crisis Response (e.g., ‘Managing Strong Emotions to Traumatic Events: Tips for Parents and Teachers’), Media and Crisis (e.g., ‘How to Handle Media during a Crisis’), Trauma (e.g., ‘How Children Cope with Trauma and Ongoing Threat: The Basic Ph Model’), and Natural Disasters (e.g., ‘Helping Children after a Wildfire: Tips for Parents and Teachers’). A number of resource documents for educators, parents and students are also available in Spanish as well as other languages (e.g., Vietnamese, Chinese, Arabic, Urdu and Farsi.