School Violence Series

Part 1

Two of the biggest concerns many people have these days is youth violence and violence in our schools. In the last 10-years, we have seen a dramatic increase in crime committed by young people. What.. if anything.. can done to curb the problem?

In Bill Ratliff's Assignment: Education.. one expert says crimes committed by young people can be reduced, but three things needed to happen first.

Scenes like this rocked the nation last year. Children dying and injured at the hands of other children... in places it's not supposed to happen.. schools. The national response.. outrage and dismay. President Clinton calls for tougher anti-gun policies, curfews and school uniforms to put order back into children's lives. A Bay Area school district responds to the concerns of parents by approving random metal detector checks in schools. And Bay area community groups hold special forums to talk about violence in our schools.

--[Dr. Kathleen heide says:] "So Freud would say that needs to be explored."--

Dr. Kathleen Heide is a Professor of Criminolgy at U-S-F. She says last year's school shooting incidents concerned her because the children involved were younger than before and the number of victims was higher. And it appeared to be a copycat phenomenon.

--[Dr. Heide says:] "Meaning that if the school year hadn't ended my sense is we would have seen more of those incidents."--

But Dr. Heide says those acts of school violence are reflective of a greater problem.. more children than ever before are involved in violence. She says it's a societal problem. In her book, 'Young Killers', Heide lists more than a dozen factors contributing to juvenile murders. But she says one of the most important is the altered family structure: an increase in divorces leading to more single parent homes.. more children born to single women.. a lack of positive male role models.. and more women in the workforce and not at home.

--[ Heide says:] "Where kids normally learn how to deal with conflict is in families, particularly, and there are changes in the family strucuture that increase the likelihood today that children won't learn some of those lessons and that children won't be supervised."--

That's why Heide says -schools- need to play a role in teaching young people how to deal with conflict and strong negative feelings.

--[Heide says:] "It's imperative that we ask that of educators."--

Dr Heide remains hopeful, however. She says all it will take to reduce youth violence is for parents to take parenting seriously.. schools rallying to help children to grow up to be productive citizens.. and for communities to have more programs and services aimed at children. She believes it's something that can and must be done.

Part 2

Last year, 40-people died in shootings on school campuses. Americans were horrified. But a study was released in the summer says those school shooting incidents created the perception that school violence is a greater problem than really exists. Nevertheless.. there is great concern about what is being done to make sure schools remain safe havens.

In part two of a special "Assignment: Education".. Bill Ratliff takes a look at a program being used in schools around the country that teaches children social skills and how to control their anger.

--[Kids say in unison] "Letisha likes Hector. Letisha likes Hector." [Letisha says:] "First, I got to stop and think."--

-- [Teacher Kim Howery says:] "And then I am going to use a brave voice. No Belinda. I'm not going to write on the wall."--

What you are seeing are lessons in social skills at Tampa's Cleveland Elementary. Two different grades.. Second and Fourth. The lessons are adjusted for each grade level. But these lessons are not about what fork to use at the dinner table.

--[Teacher Jennifer Fernandez says:] "You need to stop and count to five. Sometimes stopping and counting five is not going to get you calmed down. Because you might really be ticked off. You need to count to 10. That's okay, but that gives you time to bring your level down.. to cool off."--

This special curriculum is called "Stop and Think." It's co-creator is U-S-F Professor of Pyschology Dr. Howard Knoff.

--[Dr. Howard Knoff says:] "The essence of stop and think is really to teach kids self-managment."--

The "Stop and Think" program has been used in schools from Florida to Alaska. Knoff says schools must be involved in teaching children appropriate behavior, because he says many aren't learning it at home.

--[Dr. Knoff says:] "Unfortunately in this country, we have a lot of negative demograhics. We have 70 percent two parent working families. We have 50 percent divorce rate. We have 30 percent decrease in parent supervision. And it's not that we are trying to take away the responsiblity of the parent. We're trying to forge a partnership with parents."--

--[Teacher Kim Howery says:] "Very good. So we make good choices don't we? We always want to make a good choice."--

The "Stop and Think" program has been used at Cleveland for five years. It's used at all grade levels. Cleveland's Principal.. Cathy Valdes.. says the entire climate of her school has changed, because students have more ownership of their behavior.

--[Principal Cathy valdes says:] "We have had so many students that have been empowered through this process, that they now do choose and make good choiuces and have control over their behavior."--

Bill Ratliff, Newschannel 8.

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