Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 1998; Executive Summary

• NCJ Number: 172845
• Author(s): Phillip Kaufman, MPR Associates; Xianglei Chen, MPR Associates; Susan P. Choy, MPR Associates; Kathryn A. Chandler, National Center for Education Statistics; Christopher D. Chapman, National Center for Education Statistics; Michael R. Rand, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Cheryl Ringel, Bureau of Justice Statistics
• Date Published: October 1998
• Publication Type: Publication

Annotation

This executive summary of the first in a series of annual reports on school crime and safety from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics profiles school crime and safety in the United States, based on the latest available data, and describes the characteristics of victims of these crimes.

Abstract

Each section of this report contains a set of indicators that, taken as a whole, describe a distinct aspect of school crime and safety. The indicators rely on data collected by a variety of Federal departments and agencies. Because the report relies on so many different data sets, the age groups and the time periods analyzed can vary from indicator to indicator. Data from student reports on nonfatal student victimization cover the victimization of students at school and away from school, the prevalence of students' being victimized at school, the prevalence of 12th graders' being injured or threatened with injury at school, the prevalence of students' being bullied at school, and the prevalence of 12th graders' having property stolen or damaged at school. Based on principal/disciplinarian reports, data on violence and crime at public schools address crimes reported to the police. Data are also provided on violent death at school and in the course of traveling to and from school. Data from teacher reports on teacher nonfatal victimization at school include the prevalence of teachers being threatened with injury or attacked by students. Data on the school environment focus on the following indicators: student weapons at school, student perceptions of personal safety, student reports of avoiding places at school, student reports of gangs at school, public school principals' reports of discipline problems, prevalence of 12th graders using alcohol at school and away from school, and the prevalence of 12th graders using other drugs at and away from school. The table of contents of the full report is provided.