The District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) is a school voucher initiative targeted to disadvantaged students in the US Capital. Vouchers worth up to $7,500 annually are awarded by lottery to students with family incomes near or below the federal poverty line. Students can then use their voucher at any of 60 participating…

Significant numbers of students are being pushed out of school as a result of "zero tolerance" school discipline policies. While nobody questions the need to keep schools safe, teachers, students, and parents are questioning the methods being used in pursuit of that goal. Zero tolerance policies were initially aimed at making schools safe. The…

This district report summarizes results from the 2006-2007 through 2008-2009 Austin Independent School District (AISD) staff climate surveys.

This issue of ERCMExpress provides direction to schools and school districts in "Creating Emergency Management Plans." To ensure the safety of students, faculty and staff, schools and school districts nationwide should create comprehensive, multi-hazard emergency management plans that focus on the four phases of emergency management--…

This CD-ROM contains the raw, public-use data from the 2000 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) along with a User's Manual and Detailed Data Documentation. The data are provided in SAS, SPSS, STATA, and ASCII formats. The User's Manual and the Detailed Data Documentation are provided as .pdf files. (Author)

The installation of a steel grate over a sunken sand moat reduces the safety hazard from spillage of molten metal. (GR)

Recommends six steps school districts should follow to effectively use data collection instruments to improve school safety: Survey each school respondent group, organize a safe schools action team, obtain additional information, conduct a safe schools analysis and develop recommendations, take action. Describes advantages collecting school safety…

Describes the use of plastic identity badges with photographs and barcodes issued to all administrators, teachers, staff members, and students in grades 6-12 at the Cleveland Hill Union Free School District in Cheektowaga, New York. (PKP)

Describes five components of a comprehensive school-safety program: prevention measures, intervention strategies, academic excellence, partnerships, and crises response. (PKP)

Discusses how door manufacturers are introducing products designed to pass the rigorous tests needed to withstand tornadoes, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency's 320 and 361 directives. (EV)

Explains how high-rise residence halls can provide high-level safety and security at colleges and universities. Boston University is used to illustrate high-rise security and fire protection issues. (GR)

This article focuses on how to prepare and plan for a safe and secure environment for students and staff at the end of a school year or during the summer months. Every individual who works in a school approaches the month of May and the subsequent end-of-school-year tasks with mixed feelings of stress and relief. Although preparations for ensuring…

The U.S. Department of Education's Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention publishes "Catalyst," a newsletter covering current Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence (AODV) prevention issues at institutions of higher education. "Catalyst" discusses emerging issues and highlights innovative efforts on…

This article examines the relationship between dominant masculinities and school safety. The author shows how the social construction of masculinity impacts the safety of boys and girls in school--socially, emotionally, and physically. Drawing from research on early masculinities, incidences of bullying, hate crimes, and school shootings, the…