Most of the data on the outcomes and effects of school uniforms come from elementary and middle schools. In many cases, school uniforms are only one part of an overall reform effort. More research is needed. Offers suggestions to help schools work on developing school-uniform policies and summarizes the legal view. (15 references) (MLF)

Excerpts from two chapters in a forthcoming book, "Imaging Education: The Media and the Schools in America," show the public's remarkable constancy in values over the past 30 years. According to the polls, what Americans have persistently wanted in public schools are conservative institutions that are safe and that teach respect for…

A review of federal legal developments in education in the past 25 years addresses four issues: (1) student records, (2) the education of students with disabilities, (3) the civil rights of students with disabilities, and (4) school safety. Tables summarize major special education principles, special education court cases, and Supreme Court cases…

Knowledge of and preparation for life-threatening food allergies will enable school personnel to better respond to students who have severe allergic reactions. Given the high incidence of food-related anaphylaxis in public places, teachers and school personnel should be aware of and prepared to handle severe food allergy reactions. (SM)

First of a two-part report on violence prevention in middle schools describes ways teachers and administrators can be proactive in preventing violence, offering classroom control tips, violence-prevention curriculum strategies, and resources for designing safer schools. The article discusses changing the way adolescents think and building…

Deploring the prevalence of intimidating behavior at a new Texas middle school, assistant principals acted to suppress all gang activity and enforce a dress code and hallway discipline. With immediate problems under control, they intervened to reduce student anonymity, inform teachers via e-mail about unusual activities, and involve students in…

This paper presents strategies for making regular physical education settings and activities safe for all students, focusing on several key aspects of making inclusive settings safe (the needs of students with disabilities, the teaching environment, equipment safety, safe teaching techniques, and content). Checklists and information forms are…

Several architects, planners, administrators, and contractors answer questions about trends related to school construction, interior design, business, security, and technology. Trends concern funding issues, specialized designs, planning for safety, technological integration, and equity in services. (EV)

After four years of implementation, the National Center for Education Statistics found that schools employing zero-tolerance policies are still less safe than those without such policies. Indiscriminate use of force is the hallmark of authoritarianism. Programmatic prevention, screening and early identification, and effective discipline policies…

Examines the relationship between statewide implementation of comprehensive guidance and counseling programs and indicators of success and safety for seventh graders (N=22,601). Students attending schools with more fully implemented comprehensive programs reported: feeling safer attending schools; having better relationships with their teachers;…

Calls for an end to a "prevention war" mentality that breeds youth programs that are high profile, short term, and in competition with programs already in place. Instead, this article advocates for comprehensive, sustained efforts that promote the personal and social development of young people and address problems at their psychosocial…

Many schools have responded to incidences of school violence by installing elaborate security hardware. This article focuses on a school that took a different approach. Students and staff at Chugiak High School chose to wage peace in the school and worked to reclaim their school as nonviolent, caring community. (BF)

London schools operate in an area where crime rates, including violent crime, is statistically more frequent than the average for the whole of England and Wales (Moore and Yeo 2004). Violent crime in the capital increased (though not to a statistically significant extent) between 2002/3 and 2003/4 (Moore and Yeo 2004b). This has led to a…

The history books will show that New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg seized control of the city's sprawling public school bureaucracy and its 1.1 million students on July 1, 2002. But it was 18 months later when New Yorkers got their first real taste of what mayoral control and accountability were supposed to be about: when reports of escalating…

This article focuses on the three kinds of school safety: (1) physical; (2) emotional; and (3) intellectual, and details how to determine if a school is safe. Excellence in schools demands that schools be physically, emotionally, and intellectually safe for students, while "good enough" schools are simply physically safe. Here, the…