How safe are our schools?

Schools are basically safe places for children. School violence and disruption, although in decline through the mid- to late 1990s, remains a concern. National surveys that inform research, policy, and practice have been designed for different purposes and can present conflicting findings. Common standards of risk and harm that could advance policy and practice are lacking. Progress in the field of school safety has been hindered by the lack of a coherent conceptual structure to guide measurement and research. This article identifies some of the conceptual and methodological challenges that must be addressed and calls for a 10-year national strategic plan to improve school safety.