Preventing School Violence

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Course Description
Teachers will learn a comprehensive and proven theoretical model for explaining, predicting and preventing violence. They will acquire the skills and methods necessary to effectively evaluate violence prevention strategies and programs. They will also learn what baseline data to compile for predicting violence in their schools and classrooms.

Objectives
• Explain the functional interaction of four variables that are predictors of school violence: (a) propensity to action; (b) situational and contextual factors; (c) precipitating events, or triggers; and (d) violence as a choice of means
• Identify, evaluate and access sources of data to measure these four variables
• Understand the overriding impact of contemporary social context upon school violence
• Evaluate and identify effective strategies for addressing each variable
• Understand a theoretical model for predicting and preventing violence
• Explain operational definitions for these concepts: (a) violence; (b) psychopathology; (c) gangs; and (d) haters
• Understand and evaluate the impact of drugs in the social context of violence in schools
• Understand and explain the relationships among: (a) concept of the future and short-term behavior; (b) cultural commonalties and social disintegration; (c) legitimate and non-legitimate means; (d) victim and revenge; (e) participation and rejection; (f) aspirations and blocks to achievement; and (g) means and opportunities
• Utilize the theoretical model to create an effective, school-wide violence prevention program, as well as one for your individual classroom

Curriculum Design
Preventing School Violence is a 3 credit graduate level or forty-five hour professional development course taught on weekends or over five full days.

Course Materials
  1. Listen To Them! A Model for the Prevention of School Violence, by Robert Hayman Kite, Sr., Ed.D, Teacher Education Institute, 2001.
  2. Practical School Security: Basic Guidelines for Safe and Secure Schools by Kenneth S. Trump, Corwin Press, Inc., 1998
  3. Safe Schools: A Handbook for Violence Prevention by Ronald Stephens, National Educational Service, 1995.
  4. Social Structure and Anomie, Robert K. Merton, American Psychological Review, 3, 672-682.
  5. School Conformity, Deviation and Opportunity Structures, Merton, American Psychological Review, 24 (2) 177-179.

Session Outline
Module 1: Introduction and Overview
Objective: Identify and practice skills for collaboration and cooperation, with an emphasis upon effective team building.
Contents:
  1. I-Cards
  2. Name Game
  3. Attending Exercise
  4. "I Want" List
  5. Course Overview
  6. Personal Goals Setting
  7. Learning Contract
  8. Assignments

Module 2: It Can Happen
Objective: Develop the ability to remain in control during the escalation of a potentially violent confrontation.
Contents:
  1. Escalation and Potential Violence
  2. Behavioral Clues to the Stage of Escalation
  3. Loss of Judgement During an Escalation
  4. Objectification Through Internal Dialogue
  5. How to Create Distractions
  6. Dealing with an Eruption
  7. Third Party Facilitation
  8. Mediation
  9. Assignments

Module 3: Toward an Explanation of Violence
Objective: Learn an explanation of school violence that classroom teachers can use to predict and prevent school violence.
Contents:
  1. Toward An Explanation of Violence
  2. Introduction to Alienation
  3. Presenting a Model for Predicting and Preventing Violence
  4. Propensity to Act - Motivational Strength - Aspirations
  5. Situational Variables
  6. Assignments

Module 4: Precipitating Events
Objective: Apply the explanation to identify those things in the school culture that contribute to a student choosing violence as means to achieve their aspirations.
Contents:
  1. Precipitating Events
  2. Choice
  3. Model Building
  4. Data Collection
  5. Assignments

Module 5: Gang Violence and Schools
Objective: Develop a system for classifying gang violence along with a rationale for understanding gang participation by students.
Contents:
  1. A Definition of a Gang
  2. Gang Violence Scale
  3. Model Applications
  4. School Security Professionals
  5. Mid-term Exam

Module 6: School-Wide Violence Prevention Issues
Objective: Assessing the data necessary to monitor and prevent school violence, and developing a school wide crisis management plan.
Contents:
  1. The Causes of Gangs
  2. School Security Assessment and Gangs
  3. Collecting Data in the School
  4. Crisis Management
  5. Planning School and Community Events

Module 7: Psychopathy, School Violence and the 'Law'
Objective: Understand and distinguish the difference between school discipline and criminal acts. In addition, characteristics of the psychopathic personality, along with appropriate treatments, will be covered.
Contents:
  1. Legal Issues
  2. Psychopaths
  3. Treatments
  4. Possible Treatments
  5. Treatment Context
  6. Assignments

Module 8: Blocks
Objective: Gain the knowledge and skills to identify systems blocks between student aspirations and means. Also, a review of the status of "Haters" in society will be provided.
Contents:
  1. Loss of Commonalties
  2. Systems Blocks
  3. Haters
  4. Instruction Blocks
  5. Assignments

Module 9: Steps to Prevention and Control School Violence
Objective: Develop the skills to compose embedded curriculum that promotes peace in the classroom and school.
Contents:
  1. Review
  2. Violence Prevention Curriculum Development
  3. Parent Education
  4. Guided Development
  5. Violence, Technology and "The Future School"
  6. Back Home Strategy

Module 10: Final Exam: Project Presentations
Objective: Demonstrate the ability to apply the explanation of violence to predict and prevent students choosing violence as means to achieve their aspirations.
Contents:
  1. Presentations
  2. Feedback and Evaluation
  3. Final Exam

Grading

Assignment	Points	Grading Scale
Attendance & Participation	15	100 – 93	A
Paper	10	92 – 85	B
Mid-Term Exam	20	84 – 77	C
Violence Prevention Strategy	35
Final Exam	20
Total Points	100

Student Requirements

1. During Session Nine you will complete a Violence Prevention Strategy for your school or classroom. During Session Ten you will present and defend your strategy. This activity will account for 35percent of your grade. Your Violence Prevention Strategy will include:

• A Completed Model Matrix - copy to the instructor

• A 3-5 minute oral presentation on your plan

• A written narrative describing your plan. The narrative must be typed using APA style, and must include at least two references from the course bibliography and at least one reference from the prescribed text. (Recommended length - 3 to 6 pages.)

2. A mid-term exam will count as 20% of your grade.

3. Attendance and participation will count as 15% of your grade.

4. A paper, following academic guidelines, will count as 10% of your grade. This will be required on one of the following topics or a topic approved by the instructor:.

• Attachment-Psychopathy

• Gangs & Drugs

• Loss of Commonaltie

5. A Final Exam will count as 20% of your grade.

Student Academic Integrity
Participants guarantee that all academic class work is original. Any academic dishonesty or plagiarism (to take ideas, writings, etc. from another and offer them as one's own), is a violation of student academic behavior standards as outlined by our partnering colleges and universities and is subject to academic disciplinary action.

Register
To register to take TEI's Preventing School Violence classroom graduate course, go to the Course Registration page.