Chapter 17: A School-Wide Approach To Promoting Young Adolescent Social and Behavioral Success in Middle School

Though recent media attention has seemed to focus more attention on school violence in high schools, studies reveal that middle school students are actually at the highest risk of experiencing school violence (Juvonen, Kaganoff, Augustine, & Constant, 2004). In a review of the literature on the American middle school, Juvonen et al. stated that “school safety is one of the main challenges for the American middle school” (p. 51). The following statistics highlight the safety challenges facing our American middle school:

• During the 2003-2004 school year, there were 53 violent crimes per 1,000 students in middle schools, compared with only 28 violent crimes per 1,000 students in both elementary schools and high schools (National Center for Education Statistics, NCES, 2006).

• Eight percent of middle school teachers (Grades 5-8) reported they had been physically attacked by a student, compared with 6% of high school teachers (Juvonen et al.), and

• Twenty-three percent of middle school teachers reported that a student had threatened them in their current school (Juvonen et al.).