Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2008 U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2008 April 2009, NCJ 226343 -------------------------------------------------------- This file is text only without graphics and many of the tables. A Zip archive of the tables in this report in spreadsheet format (.csv) and the full report including tables and graphics in .pdf format are available from: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs08.htm. This report is one in a series. More recent editions may be available. To view a list of all in the series go to http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pubalp2.htm#indicators. ------------------------------------------------------- NCES 2009-022 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Rachel Dinkes Education Statistics Services Institute - American Institutes for Research Jana Kemp Education Statistics Services Institute - American Institutes for Research Katrina Baum Bureau of Justice Statistics Thomas D. Snyder Project Officer National Center for Education Statistics U.S. Department of Education Arne Duncan Secretary U.S. Department of Justice Eric Holder Attorney General Institute of Education Sciences Sue Betka Acting Director Office of Justice Programs Laurie O. Robinson Acting Assistant Attorney General National Center for Education Statistics Stuart Kerachsky Acting Commissioner Bureau of Justice Statistics Michael D. Sinclair Acting Director The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data related to education in the United States and other nations. It fulfills a congressional man- date to collect, collate, analyze, and report full and complete statistics on the condition of education in the United States; conduct and publish reports and specialized analyses of the meaning and significance of such statistics; assist state and local education agencies in improving their statistical systems; and review and report on education activities in other countries. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, publishing, and disseminating statistical information about crime, its perpetrators and victims, and the operation of the justice system at all levels of government. These data are critical to federal, state, and local policymakers in combating crime and ensuring that justice is both efficient and evenhanded. April 2009 Suggested Citation Dinkes, R., Kemp, J., and Baum, K. (2009). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2008 (NCES 2009-022/ NCJ 226343). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, and Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Washington, DC. This publication can be downloaded from the World Wide Web at http://nces.ed.gov or http://www.ojp .usdoj.gov/bjs. Single hard copies can be ordered through ED Pubs at 1-877-4ED-PUBS (NCES 2009-022)(TTY/TDD 1-877-576-7734), and the Bureau of Justice Statistics Clearinghouse at 1-800-851-3420(NCJ 226343). Contact at NCES Thomas Snyder (202) 502-7452 tom.snyder@ed.gov Contact at BJS Katrina Baum (202) 307-5889 katrina.baum@usdoj.gov EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Our nation's schools should be safe havens for teaching and learning, free of crime and violence. Any instance of crime or violence at school not only affects the individuals involved, but also may disrupt the educational process and affect bystanders, the school itself, and the surrounding community (Henry 2000). Ensuring safer schools requires establishing good indicators of the current state of school crime and safety across the nation and regularly updating and monitoring these indicators. This is the aim of Indicators of School Crime and Safety. This report is the eleventh in a series of annual publications produced jointly by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), in the U.S. Department of Education, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in the U.S. Department of Justice. This report presents the most recent data available on school crime and student safety. The indicators in this report are based on information drawn from a variety of data sources, including national surveys of students, teachers, and principals. Sources include results from a study of violent deaths in schools, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the National Crime Victimization Survey and School Crime Supplement to the survey, sponsored by the BJS and NCES, respectively; the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and the Schools and Staffing Survey and School Survey on Crime and Safety, both sponsored by NCES. The most recent data collection for each indicator varied by survey, from 2003 04 to 2007. Each data source has an independent sample design, data collection method, and questionnaire design or is the result of a universe data collection. All comparisons described in this report are statistically significant at the .05 level. In 2005 and 2007, the final response rate for students ages 12 18 for the School Crime Supplement (60 percent),***(Footnote 1 Analysis of unit nonresponse found evidence that for some demographic groups, there may be a response bias in that the nonrespondents have different characteristics than those who responded. Weighting adjustments, which corrected for differential response rates, should have reduced the problem. Therefore, while the results are valid, in interpreting the data from Indicators 3, 8, 10, 11, 17, 18, and 21, a reader should understand that these estimates may have larger and unmeasured sources of survey error than other estimates).*** fell below NCES statistical standards; therefore, interpret the 2005 and 2007 data from Indicators 3, 8, 10, 11, 17, 18, and 21 with caution. Additional information about methodology and the datasets analyzed in this report may be found in appendix A. This report covers topics such as victimization, fights, bullying, classroom disorder, weapons, student perceptions of school safety, teacher injury, and availability and student use of drugs and alcohol. Indicators of crime and safety are compared across different population subgroups and over time. Data on crimes that occur away from school are offered as a point of comparison where available. KEY FINDINGS In the 2006 07 school year, an estimated 55.5 million students were enrolled in prekindergarten through grade 12 (U.S. Department of Education 2008). Preliminary data show that among youth ages 5 18, there were 35 school-associated violent deaths ***(Footnote 2 School-associated violent death is defined as "a homicide, suicide, legal intervention (involving a law enforcement officer), or unintentional firearm-related death in which the fatal injury occurred on the campus of a functioning elementary or secondary school in the United States." Victims of school-associated violent deaths included students, staff members, and others who are not students).*** from July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007 (27 homicides and 8 suicides) (Indicator 1). In 2006, among students ages 12 18, there were about 1.7 million victims of nonfatal crimes at school,***(Footnote 3 See appendix B for a detailed definition of "at school)."*** including 909,500 theftsv ***(Footnote 4 Theft includes purse snatching, pick pocketing, and all attempted and completed thefts except motor vehicle thefts. Theft does not include robbery in which threat or use of force is involved).*** and 767,000 violent crimes ***(Footnote 5 Violent crimes include serious violent crimes and simple assault).*** (simple assault and serious violent crime ***(Footnote 6 Serious violent crimes include rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault).*** (Indicator 2). During the 2005 06 school year, 86 percent of public schools reported that at least one violent crime, theft, or other crime occurred at their school (Indicator 6). In 2007, 8 percent of students in grades 9 12 reported being threatened or injured with a weapon in the previous 12 months, and 22 percent reported that illegal drugs were made available to them on school property (Indicators 4 and 9). The following section presents key findings from each section of the report. Violent Deaths *From July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007, there were 27 homicides and 8 suicides of school-age youth (ages 5 18) at school (Indicator 1), or about 1 homicide or suicide of a school-age youth at school per 1.6 million students enrolled during the 2006 07 school year. Nonfatal Student and Teacher Victimization *In 2006, students ages 12 18 were victims of about 1.7 million nonfatal crimes at school, including thefts ***(Footnote 4 Theft includes purse snatching, pick pocketing, and all attempted and completed thefts except motor vehicle thefts. Theft does not include robbery in which threat or use of force is involved).*** and violent crimes ***(Footnote 5 Violent crimes include serious violent crimes and simple assault).***(Indicator 2). *More students ages 12 18 were victims of theft at school than away from school in 2006 (Indicator 2). In 2006, 34 thefts per 1,000 students occurred at school compared to 25 thefts per 1,000 students that occurred away from school. ***(Footnote 4 Theft includes purse snatching, pick pocketing, and all attempted and completed thefts except motor vehicle thefts. Theft does not include robbery in which threat or use of force is involved).*** *In 2007, 4 percent of students ages 12 18 reported being victimized at school during the previous 6 months: 3 percent reported theft,***(Footnote 4 Theft includes purse snatching, pick pocketing, and all attempted and completed thefts except motor vehicle thefts. Theft does not include robbery in which threat or use of force is involved).*** and 2 percent reported violent victimization ***(Footnote 5 Violent crimes include serious violent crimes and simple assault).*** (Indicator 3). Less than half of a percent of students reported serious violent victimization.***(Footnote 6 Serious violent crimes include rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault).*** *In 2007, 10 percent of male students in grades 9 12 reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in the past year, compared to 5 percent of female students (Indicator 4). *Higher percentages of Black students (10 percent) and Hispanic students (9 percent) reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property than White students (7 percent) and American Indian/Alaska Native students (6 percent) (Indicator 4). *In the 2003 04 school year, a greater percentage of teachers in city schools reported being threatened with injury or physically attacked than teachers in suburban, town, or rural schools (Indicator 5). In city schools, 10 percent of teachers were threatened with injury by students, compared to 6 percent of teachers in suburban schools, 5 percent of teachers in town schools, and 5 percent of teachers in rural schools. *A greater percentage of secondary school teachers (8 percent) reported being threatened with injury by a student than elementary school teachers (6 percent) (Indicator 5). However, a greater percentage of elementary school teachers (4 percent) reported having been physically attacked than secondary school teachers (2 percent). *A greater percentage of public than private school teachers reported being threatened with injury (7 vs. 2 percent) or physically attacked (4 vs. 2 percent) by students in school (Indicator 5). Among teachers in city schools, generally, there were at least five times as many public school teachers as private school teachers who reported being threatened with injury (12 vs. 2 percent), and at least four times as many public school teachers as private school teachers who reported being physically attacked (5 vs. 1 percent). School Environment *In 2005 06, 86 percent of public schools reported one or more serious violent incidents,***(Footnote 7 Serious violent incidents include rape or attempted rape, sexual battery other than rape, physical attack or fight with a weapon, threat of physical attack with a weapon, and robbery with or without a weapon. Serious violent incidents are a subset of violent incidents).*** violent incidents,***(Footnote 8 Violent incidents include serious violent incidents plus physical attacks or fights without a weapon and threats of physical attacks without a weapon. Serious violent incidents are a subset of violent incidents).*** thefts of items valued at $10 or greater, or other crimes had occurred at their school, amounting to an estimated 2.2 million crimes (Indicator 6). This figure translates into a rate of 46 crimes per 1,000 students enrolled in 2005 06. *There was a range in the number of crimes reported by schools in 2005 06. For example, 46 percent of schools experienced 20 or more violent incidents, compared to 1 percent of schools that experienced 1 or 2 such incidents and 22 percent of schools that reported zero incidents (Indicator 6). *In 2005 06, 24 percent of public schools reported that student bullying was a daily or weekly problem (Indicator 7). With regard to other discipline problems occurring at least once a week, 18 percent of public school principals reported student acts of disrespect for teachers, 9 percent reported student verbal abuse of teachers, 3 percent reported daily or weekly occurrences of racial/ethnic tensions among students, and 2 percent reported widespread disorder in classrooms. With regard to other discipline problems occurring at least once per school year, 17 percent of principals reported undesirable gang activities and 4 percent reported undesirable cult or extremist activities during 2005 06. *In 2005 06, a higher percentage of middle schools than primary schools reported various types of discipline problems (Indicator 7). Also, a higher percentage of middle schools than high schools reported daily or weekly occurrences of student bullying and student sexual harassment of other students. *In 2007, 23 percent of students ages 12 18 reported that there were gangs at their schools (Indicator 8). Overall, a smaller percentage of White students (16 percent) and Asian students (17 percent) reported a gang presence at school than Black students (38 percent) and Hispanic students (36 percent). *In 2007, 22 percent of all students in grades 9 12 reported that someone had offered, sold, or given them an illegal drug on school property in the past 12 months (Indicator 9). *Ten percent of students ages 12 18 reported that someone at school had used hate-related words against them, and more than one-third (35 percent) reported seeing hate-related graffiti at school in 2007 (Indicator 10). *In 2007, 32 percent of students ages 12 18 reported having been bullied at school during the school year (Indicator 11). Twenty-one percent of students said that they had experienced bullying that consisted of being made fun of; 18 percent reported being the subject of rumors; 11 percent said that they were pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on; 6 percent said they were threatened with harm; 5 percent said they were excluded from activities on purpose; and 4 percent of students said they were tried to make do things they did not want to do or that their property was destroyed on purpose. *In 2003 04, 35 percent of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that student misbehavior interfered with their teaching, and 31 percent reported that student tardiness and class cutting interfered with their teaching (Indicator 12). Seventy-two percent of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that other teachers at their school enforced the school rules, and 88 percent reported that the principal enforced the school rules. *A higher percentage of elementary school teachers than secondary school teachers agreed that school rules were enforced by teachers in their school, even for students not in their class (Indicator 12). In 2003 04, 79 percent of elementary teachers reported that school rules were enforced by other teachers, compared to 56 percent of secondary teachers. Fights, Weapons, and Illegal Substances *In 2007, 36 percent of students in grades 9 12 reported they had been in a fight anywhere, and 12 percent said they had been in a fight on school property during the preceding 12 months (Indicator 13). In the same year, 44 percent of males said they had been in a fight anywhere, compared to 27 percent of females, and 16 percent of males said they had been in a fight on school property, compared to 9 percent of females. *Eighteen percent of students in grades 9 12 in 2007 reported they had carried a weapon ***(Footnote 9 Such as a gun, knife, or club).*** anywhere, and 6 percent reported they had carried a weapon on school property during the previous 30 days (Indicator 14). There were at least three times as many males as females who reported carrying a weapon either anywhere or on school property in all survey years. In 2007, for example, 9 percent of males carried a weapon on school property, compared to 3 percent of females, and 29 percent of males carried a weapon anywhere, compared to 7 percent of females. *In 2007, 45 percent of students in grades 9 12 reported having consumed at least one drink of alcohol anywhere, and 4 percent reported having consumed at least one drink on school property during the previous 30 days (Indicator 15). *Twenty percent of students in grades 9 12 in 2007 reported using marijuana anywhere during the past 30 days, and 4 percent reported using marijuana on school property during this period (Indicator 16). Fear and Avoidance *In 2007, approximately 5 percent of students ages 12 18 reported that they were afraid of attack or harm at school, and 3 percent reported that they were afraid of attack or harm away from school (Indicator 17). In 2007, smaller percentages of White students (4 percent) and Asian students (2 percent) reported being afraid of attack or harm at school than their Black (9 percent) and Hispanic (7 percent) peers. *In 2007, 7 percent of students ages 12 18 reported that they had avoided a school activity or one or more places in school in the previous 6 months because of fear of attack or harm: 3 percent of students avoided a school activity, and 6 percent avoided one or more places in school (Indicator 18). Discipline, Safety, and Security Measures *Forty-eight percent of public schools reported taking at least one serious disciplinary action against a student including suspensions lasting 5 days or more, removals with no services (i.e., expulsions), and transfers to specialized schools for specific offenses during the 2005 06 school year (Indicator 19). Of those serious disciplinary actions, 74 percent were suspensions for 5 days or more, 5 percent were expulsions, and 20 percent were transfers to specialized schools. *In the 2005 06 school year, 5 percent of public schools reported performing drug testing on athletes and 3 percent reported doing so for students in other extracurricular activities (Indicator 20). A higher percentage of public high schools than middle or primary schools reported performing drug tests on students: 13 percent of high schools reported performing drug tests on athletes, compared to 7 percent of middle schools and 1 percent of primary schools. *The majority of students ages 12 18 reported that their school had a student code of conduct (96 percent) and a requirement that visitors sign in (94 percent) in 2007 (Indicator 21). Metal detectors were the least commonly observed security measure. Ten percent of students reported the use of metal detectors at their school. FOREWORD Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2008 provides the most recent national indicators on school crime and safety. The information presented in this report is intended to serve as a reference for policymakers and practitioners so that they can develop effective programs and policies aimed at violence and school crime prevention. Accurate information about the nature, extent, and scope of the problem being addressed is essential for developing effective programs and policies. This is the eleventh edition of Indicators of School Crime and Safety, a joint publication of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This report provides detailed statistics to inform the nation about current aspects of crime and safety in schools. The 2008 edition of Indicators of School Crime and Safety includes the most recent available data, compiled from a number of statistical data sources supported by the federal government. Such sources include results from a study of violent deaths in schools, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the National Crime Victimization Survey and School Crime Supplement to the survey, sponsored by the BJS and NCES, respectively; the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and the Schools and Staffing Survey and School Survey on Crime and Safety, both sponsored by NCES. The entire report is available on the Internet. The Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics continue to work together in order to provide timely and complete data on the issues of school-related violence and safety. Stuart Kerachsky Acting Commissioner National Center for Education Statistics Michael D. Sinclair Acting Director Bureau of Justice Statistics ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors are grateful to the sponsoring agencies, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), for supporting this report. From BJS, we wish to thank Allen Beck, Doris James, Georgette Walsh, and Michael Rand, who served as reviewers, and Patsy Klaus and Jack Rossbach, who verified data from the National Crime Victimization Survey. Outside of NCES and BJS, Nancy Brener, Mark Anderson, Jeffrey Hall, and Latasha Butler of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention generously provided data and performed a review of data documentation. We also value the review of this report and the continued support provided by Bill Modzeleski and Deborah Rudy of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. CONTENTS Executive Summary iii Key Findings v Foreword ix Acknowledgments x List of Tables xii List of Figures xv Introduction 2 Violent Deaths 5 Indicator 1.Violent Deaths at School and Away From School 6 Nonfatal Student and Teacher Victimization 9 Indicator 2.Incidence of Victimization at School and Away From School 10 Indicator 3.Prevalence of Victimization at School 12 Indicator 4.Threats and Injuries With Weapons on School Property 14 Indicator 5.Teachers Threatened With Injury or Physically Attacked by Students 16 School Environment 19 Indicator 6.Violent and Other Crime Incidents at Public Schools and Those Reported to the Police 20 Indicator 7.Discipline Problems Reported by Public Schools 26 Indicator 8.Students' Reports of Gangs at School 28 Indicator 9.Students' Reports of Drug Availability on School Property 30 Indicator 10.Students' Reports of Being Called Hate-Related Words and Seeing Hate-Related Graffiti 32 Indicator 11.Bullying at School and Cyber-Bullying Anywhere 36 Indicator 12.Teachers' Reports on School Conditions 40 Fights, Weapons, and Illegal Substances 43 Indicator 13.Physical Fights on School Property and Anywhere 44 Indicator 14.Students Carrying Weapons on School Property and Anywhere 46 Indicator 15.Students' Use of Alcohol on School Property and Anywhere 48 Indicator 16.Students' Use of Marijuana on School Property and Anywhere 50 Fear and Avoidance 53 Indicator 17.Students' Perceptions of Personal Safety at School and Away From School 54 Indicator 18.Students' Reports of Avoiding School Activities or Specific Places in School 56 Discipline, Safety, and Security Measures 59 Indicator 19.Serious Disciplinary Actions Taken by Public Schools 60 Indicator 20.Safety and Security Measures Taken by Public Schools 62 Indicator 21.Students' Reports of Safety and Security Measures Observed at School 66 References 70 Supplemental Tables 73 Appendix A: Technical Notes 134 Appendix B: Glossary of Terms 146 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1.1. Number of school-associated violent deaths, homicides, and suicides of youth ages 5 18, by location and year: 1992 2007 74 1.2. Number of school-associated violent deaths of students, staff, and nonstudents, by type: 1992 2007 75 2.1. Number of student-reported nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 18 and rate of crimes per 1,000 students, by location, type of crime and year: 1992 2006 76 2.2. Number of student-reported nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 18 and rate of crimes per 1,000 students at school, by type of crime and selected student and school characteristics: 2006 77 2.3. Number of student-reported nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 18 and rate of crimes per 1,000 students away from school, by type of crime and selected student and school characteristics: 2006 78 3.1. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported criminal victimization at school during the previous 6 months, by type of victimization and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1995 2007 80 4.1. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property during the previous 12 months, by selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1993 2007 82 4.2. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property during the previous 12 months, by state: 2003, 2005, and 2007 83 5.1. Percentage and number of public and private school teachers who reported that they were threatened with injury by a student from school during the previous 12 months, by urbanicity and selected teacher and school characteristics: Various school years, 1993 94, 1999 2000, and 2003 04 84 5.2. Percentage and number of public and private school teachers who reported that they were physically attacked by a student from school during the previous 12 months, by urbanicity and selected teacher and school characteristics: Various school years, 1993 94, 1999 2000, and 2003 04 85 5.3. Percentage and number of public school teachers who reported that they were threatened with injury by a student from school during the previous 12 months, by state: 1993 94, 1999 2000, and 2003 04 86 5.4. Percentage and number of public school teachers who reported that they were physically attacked by a student from school during the previous 12 months, by state: 1993 94, 1999 2000, and 2003 04 87 6.1. Percentage of public schools experiencing and reporting incidents of crime, number of incidents, and the rate of crimes per 1,000 students, by type of crime: Various school years, 1999 2000, 2003 04, and 2005 06 88 6.2. Percentage of public schools experiencing incidents of crime, number of incidents, and the rate of crimes per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected school characteristics: School year 2005 06 90 6.3. Percentage of public schools reporting incidents of crime to the police, number of incidents, and the rate of crimes per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected school characteristics: School year 2005 06 92 6.4. Percentage of public schools experiencing and reporting to the police violent incidents of crime, by the number of incidents and selected school characteristics: School year 2005 06 94 6.5. Percentage of public schools experiencing and reporting to the police serious violent incidents of crime, by the number of incidents and selected school characteristics: School year 2005 06 96 7.1. Percentage of public schools reporting selected discipline problems that occurred at school, by frequency: Various school years, 1999 2000, 2003 04, and 2005 06 98 7.2. Percentage of public schools reporting selected discipline problems that occurred at school, by frequency and school characteristics: School year 2005 06 99 8.1. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported that gangs were present at school, by urbanicity and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 2001 07 100 9.1. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported that drugs were made available to them on school property during the previous 12 months, by selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1993 2007 101 9.2. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported that drugs were made available to them on school property during the previous 12 months, by state: 2003, 2005, and 2007 102 10.1. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported being targets of hate-related words and seeing hate-related graffiti at school, by selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1999 2007 103 10.2. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported being targets of hate-related words at school during the school year, by selected student and school characteristics: 2007 104 11.1. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported being bullied at school and cyber-bullied anywhere during the school year, by selected bullying problems and selected student and school characteristics: 2007 106 11.2. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported being bullied at school during the school year, by location of bullying, injury, and selected student and school characteristics: 2007 108 11.3. Percentage distribution of students ages 12 18 who reported being bullied at school and cyber-bullied anywhere by the frequency of bullying at school during the school year and percentage of students who notified an adult, by selected student and school characteristics: 2007 110 12.1. Percentage of public and private school teachers who agreed or strongly agreed that student misbehavior and student tardiness and class cutting interfered with their teaching, by selected teacher and school characteristics: Various school years, 1987 88 through 2003 04 112 12.2. Percentage of public and private school teachers who agreed or strongly agreed that school rules are enforced by other teachers and by the principal, by selected teacher and school characteristics: Various school years, 1987 88 through 2003 04 113 13.1. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported having been in a physical fight during the previous 12 months, by location and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1993 2007 114 13.2. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported having been in a physical fight during the previous 12 months, by location and state: 2003, 2005, and 2007 115 14.1. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported carrying a weapon at least 1 day during the previous 30 days, by location and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1993 2007 116 14.2. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported carrying a weapon at least 1 day during the previous 30 days, by location and state: 2003, 2005, and 2007 117 15.1. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported using alcohol during the previous 30 days, by location and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1993 2007 118 15.2. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported using alcohol during the previous 30 days, by location and state: 2003, 2005, and 2007 119 16.1. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported using marijuana during the previous 30 days, by location and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1993 2007 120 16.2. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported using marijuana during the previous 30 days, by location and state: 2003, 2005, and 2007 121 17.1. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported being afraid of attack or harm, by location and selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1995 2007 122 18.1. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported avoiding school activities or one or more places in school because of fear of attack or harm: Various years, 1995 2007 123 18.2. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported avoiding one or more places in school because of fear of attack or harm, by selected student and school characteristics: Various years, 1995 2007 124 19.1. Number and percentage of public schools that took a serious disciplinary action, number of serious actions taken, and percentage distribution of serious actions, by type of action and type of offense: School year 2005 06 125 19.2. Percentage of public schools that took a serious disciplinary action and number of serious actions taken, by type of offense: Various school years, 1999 2000, 2003 04, and 2005 06 126 20.1. Percentage of public schools that used selected safety and security measures, by school characteristics: School year 2005 06 128 20.2. Percentage of public schools that used safety and security measures: Various school years, 1999 2000, 2003 04, and 2005 06 130 21.1. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported selected security measures at school: Various years, 1999 2007 131 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page A. Nationally representative sample and universe surveys used in this report 4 1.1. Number of homicides and suicides of youth ages 5 18, by location: 2005 06 7 1.2. Number of homicides and suicides of youth ages 5 18 at school: 1992 2007 7 2.1. Rate of student-reported nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 18 at school per 1,000 students, by age and type of crime: 2006 11 2.2. Rate of student-reported nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 18 away from school per 1,000 students, by age and type of crime: 2006 11 3.1. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported criminal victimization at school during the previous 6 months, by type of victimization: Various years, 1995 2007 13 4.1. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property during the previous 12 months, by sex: Various years, 1993 2007 15 4.2. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property during the previous 12 months, by grade: 2007 15 5.1. Percentage of public and private school teachers who reported that they were threatened with injury or that they were physically attacked by a student from school during the previous 12 months: Various school years, 1993 94, 1999 2000, and 2003 04 17 5.2. Percentage of public and private school teachers who reported that they were threatened with injury or that they were physically attacked by a student from school during the previous 12 months, by urbanicity and instructional level: School year 2003 04 17 6.1. Percentage of public schools experiencing and reporting to the police incidents of crime and the rate per 1,000 students, by type of crime: School year 2005 06 21 6.2. Percentage of public schools experiencing and reporting to the police violent and serious violent incidents of crime, by the number of incidents: School year 2005 06 23 6.3. Percentage of public schools experiencing and reporting to the police incidents of crime, by type of crime: Various school years, 1999 2000, 2003 04, and 2005 06 24 7.1. Percentage of public schools reporting selected discipline problems that occurred at school, by school enrollment size: School year 2005 06 27 8.1. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported that gangs were present at school during the school year, by school sector and race/ethnicity: 2007 29 8.2. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported that gangs were present at school, by sex: Various years 2001 07 29 9.1. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported that drugs were made available to them on school property during the previous 12 months, by sex: Various years, 1993 2007 31 9.2. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported that drugs were made available to them on school property during the previous 12 months, by race/ethnicity: 2007 31 10.1. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported being targets of hate-related words and seeing hate-related graffiti at school during the school year, by selected student and school characteristics: 2007 33 10.2. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported being targets of hate-related words at school during the school year, by type of hate-related word: 2007 35 11.1. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported being bullied at school and being cyber-bullied anywhere during the school year, by sex: 2007 37 11.2. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported selected bullying problems at school and cyber-bullying problems anywhere during the school year: 2007 37 11.3. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported being bullied at school during the school year, by location of bullying, injury, and sex: 2007 38 11.4. Percentage distribution of students ages 12 18 who reported being bullied at school and being cyber-bullied anywhere by the frequency of bullying at school during the school year and percentage of students who notified an adult: 2007 38 12.1. Percentage of public and private school teachers who agreed or strongly agreed that school rules are enforced by other teachers and by the principal, by school level: School year 2003 04 41 12.2. Percentage of public and private school teachers who agreed or strongly agreed that student misbehavior interfered with their teaching, by sector: Various school years, 1987 88 through 2003 04 41 13.1. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported having been in a physical fight during the previous 12 months, by location and sex: Various years, 1993 2007 45 13.2. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported having been in a physical fight during the previous 12 months, by location and grade: 2007 45 14.1. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported carrying a weapon at least 1 day during the previous 30 days, by location and sex: Various years, 1993 2007 47 14.2. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported carrying a weapon at least 1 day during the previous 30 days, by location and grade: 2007 47 15.1. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported using alcohol during the previous 30 days, by location and sex: Various years, 1993 2007 49 15.2. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported using alcohol during the previous 30 days, by location and grade: 2007 49 16.1. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported using marijuana during the previous 30 days, by location and sex: Various years, 1993 2007 51 16.2. Percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported using marijuana during the previous 30 days, by location and grade: 2007 51 17.1. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported being afraid of attack or harm during the school year, by location and race/ethnicity: 2007 55 17.2. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported being afraid of attack or harm, by location and school sector: Various years, 1995 2007 55 18.1. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported avoiding school activities or one or more places in school because of fear of attack or harm during the school year: 2007 57 18.2. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported avoiding one or more places in school because of fear of attack or harm during the school year, by grade level and school sector: 2007 58 19.1. Percentage of public schools that took a serious disciplinary action for specific offenses, by type of offense: School year 2005 06 61 19.2. Percentage of public schools that took a serious disciplinary action, by type of offense: Various school years, 1999 2000, 2003 04, and 2005 06 61 20.1. Percentage of public schools that used selected safety and security measures: School year 2005 06 63 20.2. Percentage of public schools that used selected safety and security measures: Various school years, 1999 2000, 2003 04, and 2005 06 64 21.1. Percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported selected security measures at school: Various years, 1999 2007 67 INTRODUCTION Our nation's schools should be safe havens for teaching and learning free of crime and violence. Even though a smaller percentage of students are victims of a serious violent crime at school ***(Footnote 1 See appendix B for a detailed definition of "at school").*** than away from school (Indicators 1 and 2), any instance of crime or violence at school not only affects the individuals involved but also may disrupt the educational process and affect bystanders, the school itself, and the surrounding community (Henry 2000). For both students and teachers, victimization at school can have lasting effects. In addition to experiencing loneliness, depression, and adjustment difficulties (Crick and Bigbee 1998; Crick and Grotpeter 1996; Nansel et al. 2001; Prinstein, Boergers, and Vernberg 2001; Storch et al. 2003), victimized children are more prone to truancy (Ringwalt, Ennett, and Johnson 2003), poor academic performance (Wei and Williams 2004; MacMillan and Hagan 2004), dropping out of school (Beauvais et al. 1996; MacMillan and Hagan 2004), and violent behaviors (Nansel et al. 2003). For teachers, incidents of victimization may lead to professional disenchantment and even departure from the profession altogether (Karcher 2002; Smith and Smith 2006). For parents, school staff, and policymakers to effectively address school crime, they need an accurate understanding of the extent, nature, and context of the problem. However, it is difficult to gauge the scope of crime and violence in schools given the large amount of attention devoted to isolated incidents of extreme school violence. Measuring progress toward safer schools requires establishing good indicators of the current state of school crime and safety across the nation and regularly updating and monitoring these indicators; this is the aim of Indicators of School Crime and Safety. Purpose and Organization of This Report Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2008 is the eleventh in a series of reports produced since 1998 by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) that present the most recent data available on school crime and student safety. The report is not intended to be an exhaustive compilation of school crime and safety information, nor does it attempt to explore reasons for crime and violence in schools. Rather, it is designed to provide a brief summary of information from an array of data sources and to make data on national school crime and safety accessible to policymakers, educators, parents, and the general public. Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2008 is organized into sections that delineate specific concerns to readers, starting with a description of the most serious violent crimes. The sections cover Violent Deaths; Nonfatal Student and Teacher Victimization; School Environment; Fights, Weapons, and Illegal Substances; Fear and Avoidance; and Discipline, Safety, and Security Measures. Each section contains a set of indicators that, taken together, aim to describe a distinct aspect of school crime and safety. Where available, data on crimes that occur outside of school grounds are offered as a point of comparison. ***(Footnote 2 Data in this report are not adjusted to reflect the number of hours that youths spend on school property versus the number of hours they spend elsewhere).*** Supplemental tables for each indicator provide more detailed breakouts and standard errors for estimates. A glossary of terms and a reference section appear at the end of the report. Standard errors for the estimate tables are available online. This year's report contains updated data for 15 indicators: violent deaths (Indicator 1), nonfatal student victimization (Indicator 2), the prevalence of victimization at school (Indicator 3), threats and injuries with weapons on school property (Indicator 4), students' reports of gangs at school (Indicator 8), students' reports of drug availability on school property (Indicator 9), students' reports of being called hate-related words and seeing hate-related graffiti (Indicator 10), bullying at school and cyber-bullying anywhere (Indicator 11), physical fights on school property and anywhere (Indicator 13), students carrying weapons on school property and anywhere (Indicator 14), students' use of alcohol on school property and anywhere (Indicator 15), students' use of marijuana on school property and anywhere (Indicator 16), students' perceptions of personal safety at school and away from school (Indicator 17), students' reports of avoiding school activities or specific places in school (Indicator 18), and students' reports of safety and security measures observed at school (Indicator 21). In addition, two new tables on violent and other crime incidents at school and those reported to the police by the number of incidents have been added to Indicator 6. Also found in this year's report are references to recent publications relevant to each indicator that the reader may want to consult for additional information or analyses. These references can be found in the "For more information" sidebars at the bottom of each indicator. Data The indicators in this report are based on information drawn from a variety of independent data sources, including national surveys of students, teachers, and principals and universe data collections from federal departments and agencies, including BJS, NCES, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Each data source has an independent sample design, data collection method, and questionnaire design or is the result of a universe data collection. The combination of multiple, independent sources of data provides a broad perspective on school crime and safety that could not be achieved through any single source of information. However, readers should be cautious when comparing data from different sources. While every effort has been made to keep key definitions consistent across indicators, differences in sampling procedures, populations, time periods, and question phrasing can all affect the comparability of results. For example, both Indicators 20 and 21 report data on select security and safety measures used in schools. Indicator 20 uses data collected from a survey of principals about safety and security practices used in their schools during the 2005 06 school year. Indicator 21, however, uses data collected from 12- through 18-year-olds residing in a sample of households. These students were asked whether they observed selected safety and security measures in their school in 2007, but they may not have known whether, in fact, the security measure was present. In addition, different indicators contain various approaches to the analysis of school crime data and, therefore, will show different perspectives on school crime. For example, both Indicators 2 and 3 report data on theft and violent crime at school based on the National Crime Victimization Survey and the School Crime Supplement to that survey, respectively. While Indicator 2 examines the number of incidents of crime, Indicator 3 examines the percentage or prevalence of students who reported victimization. Figure A provides a summary of some of the variations in the design and coverage of sample surveys used in this report. Several indicators in this report are based on self-reported survey data. Readers should note that limitations inherent to self-reported data may affect estimates (Cantor and Lynch 2000; Addington 2005). First, unless an interview is "bounded" or a reference period is established, estimates may include events that exceed the scope of the specified reference period. This factor may artificially increase reported incidents because respondents may recall events outside of the given reference period. Second, many of the surveys rely on the respondent to "self-determine" a condition. This factor allows the respondent to define a situation based upon his or her own interpretation of whether the incident was a crime or not. On the other hand, the same situation may not necessarily be interpreted in the same way by a bystander or the perceived offender. Third, victim surveys tend to emphasize crime events as incidents that take place at one point in time. However, victims can often experience a state of victimization in which they are threatened or victimized regularly or repeatedly. Finally, respondents may recall an event inaccurately. For instance, people may forget the event entirely or recall the specifics of the episode incorrectly. These and other factors may affect the precision of the estimates based on these surveys. Data trends are discussed in this report when possible. Where trends are not discussed, either the data are not available in earlier surveys or the wording of the survey question changed from year to year, eliminating the ability to discuss any trend. For example, in Indicator 11, which reports on bullying using data from the School Crime Supplement survey, the 2007 questionnaire was revised to include information on cyber-bullying. Due to this change, the text of this indicator is no longer presenting trend information. For Indicator 2, due to changes in survey methodology in the 2006 National Crime Victimization Survey that mainly affected rural areas, national-level estimates were not comparable to estimates based on data from previous years. For Indicators 3, 8, 10, 17, and 18, due to changes in survey methodology in the 2007 School Crime Supplement data file that mainly affected rural areas, estimates for urbanicity were suppressed on the data file. For more information on the National Crime Victimization Survey and School Crime Supplement, please see appendix A. Where data from samples are reported, as is the case with most of the indicators in this report, the standard error is calculated for each estimate provided in order to determine the "margin of error" for these estimates. The standard errors of the estimates for different subpopulations in an indicator can vary considerably and should be taken into account when making comparisons. Throughout this report, in cases where the standard error was at least 30 percent of the associated estimate, the estimates were noted with a "!" symbol (interpret data with caution). In cases where the standard error was greater than 50 percent of the associated estimate, the estimate was suppressed. See appendix A for more information. The comparisons in the text have been tested for statistical significance to ensure that the differences are larger than might be expected due to sampling variation. Unless otherwise noted, all statements cited in the report are statistically significant at the .05 level. Several test procedures were used, depending upon the type of data being analyzed and the nature of the statement being tested. The primary test procedure used in this report was Student's t statistic, which tests the difference between two sample estimates. Linear trend tests were used when differences among percentages were examined relative to interval categories of a variable, rather than the differences between two discrete categories. This test allows one to examine whether, for example, the percentage of students who reported using drugs increased (or decreased) over time or whether the percentage of students who reported being physically attacked in school increased (or decreased) with age. When differences among percentages were examined relative to a variable with ordinal categories (such as grade), analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for a linear relationship between the two variables. Although percentages reported in the tables are generally rounded to one decimal place (e.g., 76.5 percent), percentages reported in the text and figures are generally rounded from the original number to whole numbers (with any value of 0.50 or above rounded to the next highest whole number). While the data labels on the figures have been rounded to whole numbers, the graphical presentation of these data is based on the unrounded estimates shown in the corresponding table. Appendix A of this report contains descriptions of all the datasets used in this report and a discussion of how standard errors were calculated for each estimate. VIOLENT DEATHS Indicator 1 Violent Deaths at School and Away From School 6 Figure 1.1 7 Figure 1.2 7 Indicator 1 Violent Deaths at School and Away From School The percentage of youth homicides occurring at school remained at less than 2 percent of the total number of youth homicides over all available survey years even though the absolute number of homicides of school-age youth at school varied to some degree across the years. Violent deaths at schools are rare but tragic events with far-reaching effects on the school population and surrounding community. From July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007, there were 55 school-associated violent deaths in elementary and secondary schools in the United States (tables 1.1 and 1.2).***(Footnote 3 Between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007, there were 55 student, staff, and nonstudent school-associated violent deaths, including 40 homicides, 12 suicides, 2 legal interventions, and 1 unintentional firearm-related death (table 1.2).*** In this indicator, a school-associated violent death is defined as "a homicide, suicide, legal intervention (involving a law enforcement officer), or unintentional firearm-related death in which the fatal injury occurred on the campus of a functioning elementary or secondary school in the United States." Victims of school-associated violent deaths include students, staff members, and others who are not students. School-associated violent deaths include violent deaths that occurred while the victim was on the way to or returning from regular sessions at school, or while the victim was attending or traveling to or from an official school-sponsored event. At-school and away-from-school homicide and suicide data were drawn from a number of sources. Data for school-associated violent deaths for the 2006 07 school year are preliminary. Data for total suicides are available for 2005 and total homicides are available for 2005 06.***(Footnote 4 Data on total suicides are available only by calendar year, whereas data on suicides and homicides at school and total homicides are available by school year. Due to these differences in reference periods, please use caution when comparing violent deaths at school to total violent deaths. Data for total suicides (2006) and total homicides (2006 2007) are not yet available.*** The most recent data available for the total number of homicides of school-age youth are from the 2005 06 school year (figure 1.1 and table 1.1), during which there were 1,646 homicides. In the 2005 calendar year, there were 1,408 suicides of school-age youth. From July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007, there were 27 homicides and 8 suicides of school-age youth (ages 5 18) at school (figure 1.2 and table 1.1). In each year during the period 1992 93 to 2005 06, there were generally at least 50 times as many murders of youth away from school than at school and generally at least 140 times as many suicides of youth away from school than at school.4 During the 2006 07 school year, there were approximately one homicide or suicide of a school-age youth at school per 1.6 million students enrolled.***(Footnote 5 The total number of students enrolled in prekindergarten through 12th grade during the 2006 07 school year was 55,394,000 (U.S. Department of Education 2009).*** Between July 1, 1992, and June 30, 1999, no consistent pattern of increase or decrease was observed in the number of homicides at school (figure 1.2 and table 1.1). During this period, between 28 and 34 homicides of school-age youth occurred at school in each school year. The number of homicides of school-age youth at school was lower during the 1999 2000 school year than during the 1998 1999 school year (13 vs. 33 homicides). The number of homicides of school-age youth at school increased from 14 to 22 between the 2000 01 and 2003 04 school years, and then declined to 19 by the 2005 06 school year. In 2006 07, the number of homicides of school-age youth was 27. The percentage of youth homicides occurring at school remained at less than 2 percent of the total number of youth homicides over all available survey years even though the absolute number of homicides of school-age youth at school varied to some degree across the years. Between the 1992 93 and 2006 07 school years, from 1 to 9 school-age youth committed suicide at school each year, with no consistent pattern of increase or decrease in the number of suicides. ---------------------------------------------------------- This indicator has been updated to include 2006 07 data. For more information: Tables 1.1 and 1.2 and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2008a). ---------------------------------------------------------- NONFATAL STUDENT AND TEACHER VICTIMIZATION Indicator 2 Incidence of Victimization at School and Away From School 10 Figure 2.1 11 Figure 2.2 11 Indicator 3 Prevalence of Victimization at School 12 Figure 3.1 13 Indicator 4 Threats and Injuries With Weapons on School Property 14 Figure 4.1 15 Figure 4.2 15 Indicator 5 Teachers Threatened With Injury or Physically Attacked by Students 16 Figure 5.1 17 Figure 5.2 17 Indicator 2 Incidence of Victimization at School and Away From School In 2006, the rate for serious violent crime was lower at school than away from school, while the rate for theft was higher at school than away from school. There was no measurable difference between the victimization rates for violent crime at school and away from school. Theft and violence both at school and while going to and from school can lead to a disruptive and threatening environment, physical injury, emotional stress, and can be an obstacle to student achievement (MacMillan and Hagan 2004; Elliot, Hamburg, and Williams 1998). In 2006, data from the National Crime Victimization Survey ***(Footnote 6 Although Indicators 2 and 3 present information on similar topics, the survey sources for these two indicators differ with respect to time coverage and administration. For more information on these two surveys, please see appendix A).***showed that students ages 12 18 were victims of about 1.7 million nonfatal crimes (theft ***(Footnote 7 Theft includes purse snatching, pick pocketing, all burglaries, attempted forcible entry, and all attempted and completed thefts except motor vehicle thefts. Theft does not include robbery in which threat or use of force is involved).*** plus violent crime. ***(Footnote 8 Violent crimes include serious violent crimes and simple assault.*** ) while they were at school ***(Footnote 9 "At school" includes inside the school building, on school property, or on the way to or from school).*** and about 1.3 million nonfatal crimes while they were away from school in 2006 (table 2.1).***(Footnote 10 Due to changes in survey methodology in 2006 that mainly affected rural areas, 2006 estimates are not comparable to estimates based on NCVS data from previous years. For more information, please see appendix A).***,***(Footnote 11 "Students" refers to youth ages 12 18 whose educational attainment did not exceed grade 12 at the time of the survey. An uncertain percentage of these persons may not have attended school during the survey reference period. These data do not take into account the number of hours that students spend at school or away from school).*** These figures represent total crime victimization rates of 63 crimes per 1,000 students at school, and 49 crimes per 1,000 students away from school (table 2.1). In 2006, students were victims of 909,500 crimes of theft at school and 659,400 crimes of theft away from school. This translates into 34 thefts per 1,000 students at school, compared to 25 thefts per 1,000 students away from school. There was no measurable difference between the victimization rates for violent crime at school and away from school. At school there were 29 violent crimes per 1,000 students. Away from school, there were 24 violent crimes per 1,000 students. The rate for serious violent crime ***(Footnote 12 Serious violent crimes include rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault).*** was lower at school than away from school in 2006. Students age 12 18 were victims of 6 serious violent crimes per 1,000 students at school, compared to 11 serious violent crimes per 1,000 students away from school. The victimization rates for students ages 12 18 varied according to certain student characteristics in 2006. A greater rate of older students (ages 15 18) than younger students (ages 12 14) were victims of crime away from school (figures 2.1 and 2.2 and tables 2.2 and 2.3). No measurable difference was found by age when it came to victimization at school. Students living in households with incomes of $75,000 or more had a lower rate of total crime victimization at school than students living in households with incomes of $49,999 or less. They also had a lower rate of total crime victimization away from school than students living in households with incomes of $74,999 or less. Though there was generally no measurable difference between students living in households with different income levels when it came to rates of theft at or away from school, significant differences were seen when looking at violent crime experienced at or away from school. Students living in households with incomes of $75,000 or more had a lower rate of violent crime victimization at school and away from school than students living in households with incomes of $49,999 or less. -------------------------------------------------------- This indicator has been updated to include 2006 data. For more information: Tables 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3; Eaton et al. (2007); and MacMillan and Hagan (2004). ----------------------------------------------------------- Indicator 3 Prevalence of Victimization at School In 2007, 4 percent of students ages 12 18 reported being victimized at school during the previous 6 months. About 3 percent of students reported theft, 2 percent reported violent victimization, and less than half of a percent reported serious violent victimization. Theft is the most frequent type of nonfatal victimization in the United States (U.S. Department of Justice 2007). Data from the School Crime Supplement ***(Footnote 13 In 2005 and 2007, the unit response rate for the SCS survey did not meet NCES statistical standards; therefore, interpret the data with caution. For more information, please see appendix A).*** ,***(Footnote 14 Although Indicators 2 and 3 present information on similar topics, the survey sources for these two indicators differ with respect to time coverage and administration. For more information on these two surveys, please see appendix A).*** show the percentage of students ages 12 18 who reported criminal victimization at school ***(Footnote 15 "At school" includes the school building, on school property, on a school bus, and, from 2001 onward, going to and from school).*** during the previous 6 months. In 2007, 4 percent of students ages 12 18 reported being victimized at school during the previous 6 months. About 3 percent of students reported theft,***(Footnote 16 Theft includes purse snatching, pick pocketing, all burglaries, attempted forcible entry, and all attempted and completed thefts except motor vehicle thefts. Theft does not include robbery in which threat or use of force is involved.*** 2 percent reported violent victimization ***(Footnote 17 Violent victimization includes serious violent crimes and simple assault).*** (figure 3.1 and table 3.1), and less than half of a percent reported serious violent victimization. ***(Footnote 18 Serious violent victimization includes rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault).*** In 2007, the prevalence of victimization varied somewhat according to student characteristics. For all types of victimization, no measurable differences were detected by sex in the likelihood of reporting victimization. The percentage of students reporting victimization was higher for students in the 7th or 9th grade than for students in the 12th grade; however, no other measurable differences in the percentages reporting victimization were found across grades. In 2007, no measurable differences were detected in the percentages of White, Black, or Hispanic students who reported victimization, theft, or violent victimization. However, a higher percentage of students of other races/ethnicities than Hispanic students reported victimization, and a higher percentage of students of other races/ethnicities than White or Hispanic students reported violent victimization. Some differences were also seen by school sector in the prevalence of victimization reported in 2007. A higher percentage of students in public schools reported victimization (5 percent) and theft (3 percent) than students in private schools (1 percent each). Overall, the percentage of students ages 12 18 who were victimized at school decreased between 1995 and 2005 from 10 to 4 percent. For each type of victimization, the percentage of students reporting victimization decreased between 1995 and 2005. Between the most recent survey years (2005 and 2007), there were no measurable changes in the percentage of students reporting any type of victimization. -------------------------------------------------------- This indicator has been updated to include 2007 data. For more information: Tables 3.1 and Bauer et al. (2008). -------------------------------------------------------- Indicator 4 Threats and Injuries With Weapons on School Property The percentage of students who were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property has fluctuated between 7 and 9 percent in all survey years from 1993 through 2007. Every year, some students are threatened or injured with a weapon while they are on school property.***(Footnote 19 "On school property" was not defined for survey respondents).*** The percentage of students victimized in this way provides an important measure of how safe our schools are, and how school safety has changed over time. In the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students in grades 9 12 were asked whether they had been threatened or injured with a weapon on school property during the 12 months preceding the survey. In 2007, 8 percent of students reported being threatened or injured with a weapon, such as a gun, knife, or club, on school property (table 4.1). From 1993 through 2007, the percentage of students who were threatened or injured with a weapon fluctuated between 7 and 9 percent. The likelihood of being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property varied by student characteristics, including sex and grade level. In each survey year, a higher percentage of males than females reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property (figure 4.1 and table 4.1). In 2007, the percentage of male students who reported being threatened or injured in the past year was nearly twice as high as the percentage of female students (10 vs. 5 percent). Generally, the percentages of 9th- and 10th-graders who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property were higher than the percentages of 11th- and 12th-graders (figure 4.2 and table 4.1). For example, in 2007, 9 percent of 9th-graders and 8 percent of 10th-graders reported that they were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property, compared with 7 percent of 11th-graders and 6 percent of 12th-graders. The percentage of students who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property varied by race/ethnicity in 2007. Higher percentages of students of more than one race (13 percent), Black students (10 percent), and Hispanic students (9 percent) reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property than White students (7 percent). Higher percentages of all of these groups, except for White students, also reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property than did American Indian/Alaska Native students (6 percent). However, no other measurable differences were found by race/ethnicity in the percentages of students who reported being threatened or injured in this way. In 2007, student reports of being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property varied among the 39 states and the District of Columbia for which data were available. Among these states and the District of Columbia, the percentage of students who reported being threatened or injured on school property ranged from 5 percent in Massachusetts and North Dakota to 11 percent in Arizona, the District of Columbia, and Utah (table 4.2).\ --------------------------------------------------------- This indicator has been updated to include 2007 data. For more information: Tables 4.1 and 4.2 and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2008b). --------------------------------------------------------- Indicator 5 Teachers Threatened With Injury or Physically Attacked by Students In the 2003 04 school year, a greater percentage of public school teachers in city schools than their peers in suburban, town, or rural schools reported being threatened with injury or physically attacked. Students are not the only victims of intimidation or violence in schools. Teachers are also subject to threats and physical attacks, and students from their schools sometimes commit these offenses. In the Schools and Staffing Survey, teachers were asked whether they had been threatened with injury or physically attacked by a student from their school in the previous 12 months. A smaller percentage of teachers, 7 percent, were threatened with injury by a student from their school in the 2003 04 school year than in 1993 94 and 1999 2000 school years, 12 and 9 percent respectively (figure 5.1 and table 5.1). A smaller percentage of teachers reported being physically attacked in 2003 04, 3 percent, than in 1993 94, 4 percent (table 5.2). A greater percentage of teachers in city schools reported being threatened with injury or physically attacked in 2003 04 than teachers in suburban, town, or rural schools (figure 5.2 and tables 5.1 and 5.2). For example, in 2003 04, 10 percent of teachers in city schools were threatened with injury by students, compared to 6 percent of teachers in suburban schools, 5 percent of teachers in town schools, and 5 percent of teachers in rural schools. Five percent of teachers in city schools were physically attacked by students, compared to 3 percent of teachers in suburban schools, 3 percent of teachers in town schools, and 2 percent of teachers in rural schools. A greater percentage of teachers in suburban schools reported being threatened with injury or physically attacked than teachers in rural schools. In the 2003 04 school year, teachers' reports of being threatened or physically attacked by students varied according to the level of their school. A greater percentage of secondary school teachers, 8 percent, reported being threatened with injury by a student than elementary school teachers, 6 percent (table 5.1). However, a greater percentage of elementary school teachers, 4 percent, reported having been physically attacked than secondary school teachers, 2 percent (table 5.2). Generally, a greater percentage of elementary and secondary teachers in city schools reported being threatened with injury or physically attacked than elementary or secondary teachers in suburban, town, or rural schools (figure 5.2). For example, in the 2003 04 school year, 12 percent of secondary teachers in city schools reported being threatened with injury compared to 7 percent of secondary suburban school teachers, and 6 percent of town and rural secondary school teachers. A greater percentage of public than private school teachers reported being threatened with injury (7 vs. 2 percent) or physically attacked (4 vs. 2 percent) by students in school (tables 5.1 and 5.2). Among teachers in city schools, generally, there were at least five times as many public school teachers as private school teachers who reported being threatened with injury (12 vs. 2 percent) and at least four times as many public school teachers as private school teachers who reported being physically attacked (5 vs. 1 percent). Public school teachers' reports of being threatened with injury or physically attacked varied among states. In 2003 04, the percentage of public school teachers who reported being threatened in the previous 12 months ranged from 4 to 18 percent (table 5.3), and the percentage who were physically attacked ranged from 1 to 7 percent (table 5.4). This indicator repeats information from the 2007 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report. For more information: Tables 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4, appendix B for definitions of school levels and urbanicity codes, and Strizek et al. (2006). SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT Indicator 6 Violent and Other Crime Incidents at Public Schools and Those Reported to the Police 20 Figure 6.1 21 Figure 6.2 23 Figure 6.3 24 Indicator 7 Discipline Problems Reported by Public Schools 26 Figure 7.1 27 Indicator 8 Students' Reports of Gangs at School 28 Figure 8.1 29 Figure 8.2 29 Indicator 9 Students' Reports of Drug Availability on School Property 30 Figure 9.1 31 Figure 9.2 31 Indicator 10 Students' Reports of Being Called Hate-Related Words and Seeing Hate-Related Graffiti 32 Figure 10.1 33 Figure 10.2 35 Indicator 11 Bullying at School and Cyber-Bullying Anywhere 36 Figure 11.1 37 Figure 11.2 37 Figure 11.3 38 Figure 11.4 38 Indicator 12 Teachers' Reports of School Conditions 40 Figure 12.1 41 Figure 12.2 41 Indicator 6 Violent and Other Crime Incidents at Public Schools and Those Reported to the Police In 2005 06, 78 percent of public schools experienced one or more violent incidents of crime, 17 percent experienced one or more serious violent incidents, 46 percent experienced one or more thefts, and 68 percent experienced another type of crime. This indicator presents the percentage of public schools that experienced one or more specified crimes, the total number of these crimes reported by schools, and the rate of crimes per 1,000 students. These data are also presented for the crimes that were reported to the police. In the School Survey on Crime and Safety, public school principals were asked to provide the number of serious violent incidents,***(Footnote 18 Serious violent incidents include rape or attempted rape, sexual battery other than rape, physical attack or fight with a weapon, threat of physical attack with a weapon, and robbery with or without a weapon).*** violent incidents, ***(Footnote 19 Violent incidents include serious violent incidents plus physical attacks or fights without a weapon and threats of physical attacks without a weapon.*** thefts of items valued at $10 or greater without personal confrontation, and other incidents.) ***(Footnote 20 Other incidents include possession of a firearm or explosive device; possession of a knife or sharp object; distribution, possession, or use of illegal drugs or alcohol; and vandalism).*** that occurred at their school,)***(Footnote 21 "At school" was defined for respondents to include activities that happen in school buildings, on school grounds, on school buses, and at places that hold school-sponsored events or activities. Respondents were instructed to include incidents that occurred before, during, or after normal school hours or when school activities or events were in session).*** as well as the number of these incidents reported to the police. During the 2005 06 school year, 86 percent of public schools reported that one or more incidents of these crimes had taken place, amounting to an estimated 2.2 million crimes (figure 6.1 and table 6.1). This figure translates into a rate of 46 crimes per 1,000 students enrolled in 2005 06. During the same year, 61 percent of schools reported an incident of one of the specified crimes to the police, amounting to about 763,000 crimes or 16 crimes per 1,000 students enrolled. In 2005 06, 78 percent of schools experienced one or more violent incidents of crime, 17 percent experienced one or more serious violent incidents, 46 percent experienced one or more thefts, and 68 percent experienced one or more other incidents. Thirty-eight percent of public schools reported at least one violent incident to police, 13 percent reported at least one serious violent incident to police, 28 percent reported at least one theft to police, and 51 percent reported one or more of the other incidents to police. The percentage of public schools with incidents of crime was lower in 2005 06 than in 2003 04. In 2003 04, 89 percent of schools experienced crimes, compared to 86 percent of schools in 2005 06 (figure 6.3 and table 6.1). The percentage of schools with crimes in 2005 06 was not measurably different from the percentage of schools with crimes in 1999 2000. The percentage of public schools that reported crimes to the police followed a similar pattern. In 1999 2000, 62 percent of schools reported crimes to the police; in 2003 04, 65 percent of schools reported crimes to the police; and, in 2005 06, 61 percent of schools did so. There was a range in the number of crimes reported by schools in 2005 06. For example, 46 percent of schools experienced 20 or more violent incidents compared to 1 percent that experienced 1 or 2 such incidents and 22 percent that reported zero incidents (figure 6.2 and table 6.4). Although 83 percent of schools reported zero incidents of serious violent crime, about 2 percent experienced 1 serious violent incident, 4 percent experienced 2 serious violent incidents, 6 percent experienced 3 to 5 serious violent incidents, 2 percent experienced 6 to 9 serious violent incidents, and 3 percent experienced 10 or more such incidents (figure 6.2 and table 6.5). Similarly, there also was a substantial range in the number of incidents reported to the police. For example, 62 percent of schools reported zero incidents of violent crime to the police compared to 5 percent that reported 1 or 2 violent incidents and 9 percent that reported 20 or more such incidents (figure 6.2 and table 6.4). The percentage of schools that experienced violent crime also varied by school characteristic and number of incidents. A larger percentage of city schools (53 percent) reported 20 or more violent incidents than urban fringe schools (42 percent) and rural schools (43 percent). There was no measurable difference in the percentage of city schools and town schools that experienced 20 or more violent incidents in 2005 06. As the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch increased, so did the percentage of schools reporting experiencing 20 or more violent incidents. In 2005 06, 55 percent of schools where more than 50 percent of the students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch experienced 20 or more violent incidents compared to 29 percent of schools where 20 percent or less of the students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch programs is a proxy measure of school poverty. ----------------------------------------------------- This indicator has been modified. For more information: Tables 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, and 6.5; appendix B for definitions of school levels and urbanicity; and Nolle, Guerino, and Dinkes (2007). ------------------------------------------------------ Indicator 7 Discipline Problems Reported by Public Schools Between 1999 2000 and 2005 06, the percentage of principals reporting student bullying as a frequently occurring discipline problem declined from 29 to 24 percent and student verbal abuse of teachers declined from 13 to 9 percent. The existence of discipline problems in a school may contribute to an environment that facilitates school violence and crime. In the School Survey on Crime and Safety, school principals were asked how often certain disciplinary problems happen in their schools.***(Footnote 22 "At school" was defined for respondents to include activities that happen in school buildings, on school grounds, on school buses, and at places that hold school-sponsored events or activities. Respondents were instructed to include incidents that occurred before, during, or after normal school hours or when school activities or events were in session).*** This indicator examines the daily or weekly occurrence of student racial tensions, bullying, sexual harassment of other students, verbal abuse of teachers, widespread classroom disorder, and acts of disrespect for teachers in public schools. It also looks at occurrences of undesirable gang and cult activities, and due to the severe nature of these incidents, presents all reports of gang and cult activities during the school year. Twenty-four percent of public schools reported that bullying occurred among students on a daily or weekly basis and 18 percent reported that student acts of disrespect for teachers took place on a daily or weekly basis during the 2005 06 school year (figure 7.1 and table 7.1). With regard to other frequently occurring discipline problems in public schools (those occurring at least once a week), 9 percent of principals reported student verbal abuse of teachers, 3 percent reported student sexual harassment of other students, 3 percent reported student racial/ethnic tensions, and 2 percent reported widespread disorder in classrooms. Seventeen percent of public schools reported that undesirable gang activities and 4 percent reported that undesirable cult or extremist activities had happened at all during 2005 06. The percentage of principals reporting that student bullying and student verbal abuse of teachers occurred at least once a week declined between 1999 2000 and 2005 06 (table 7.1). During this period, the percentage of principals reporting student bullying as a frequently occurring discipline problem declined from 29 to 24 percent and student verbal abuse of teachers declined from 13 to 9 percent. Discipline problems reported by public schools varied by school characteristics in 2005 06. In general, the percentage of principals reporting discipline problems was higher in large schools than in small schools (figure 7.1 and table 7.2). For example, 35 percent of principals at schools with 1,000 or more students reported that student acts of disrespect for teachers occurred at least once a week, whereas 12 percent at schools with less than 300 students reported this discipline problem. Also, in 2005 06, a higher percentage of middle schools than primary schools reported various types of discipline problems. Also, a higher percentage of middle schools than high schools reported daily or weekly occurrences of student bullying and student sexual harassment of other students. In 2005 06, the percentage of schools reporting the discipline problems of widespread disorder in the classroom, student acts of disrespect for teachers, student verbal abuse of teachers, and undesirable gang activities was generally smaller for schools where 20 percent or fewer of the students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch than for schools where more than 50 percent of the students were eligible (table 7.2). For example, 14 percent of schools where more than 50 percent of the students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch reported the daily or weekly occurrence of student verbal abuse of teachers compared to 3 percent of schools where 20 percent or fewer of the students were eligible. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch programs is a proxy measure of school poverty. ----------------------------------------------------------- This indicator repeats information from the 2007 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report. For more information: Tables 7.1 and 7.2; appendix B for definitions of school levels; and Nolle, Guerino, and Dinkes (2007). --------------------------------------------------- Indicator 8 Students' Reports of Gangs at School In 2007, about 23 percent of students reported that gangs were present at their school. Gangs are organized groups often involved in drugs, weapons trafficking, and violence. Gangs at school can be disruptive to the school environment because their presence may incite fear among students and increase the level of school violence (Laub and Lauritsen 1998). In the School Crime Supplement ***(Footnote 23 In 2005 and 2007, the unit response rate for this survey did not meet NCES statistical standards; therefore, interpret the data with caution. In 2007, the reference period was the school year, whereas in prior survey years the reference period was the previous 6 months. Cognitive testing showed that estimates from 2007 are comparable to previous years. For more information, please see appendix A).*** to the National Crime Victimization Survey, students ages 12 18 were asked if gangs were present at their school. ***(Footnote 24 "At school" includes the school building, on school property, on a school bus, or going to and from school).*** In 2007, 23 percent of students reported that there were gangs at their schools during the school year (figure 8.1 and table 8.1). During the same year, a greater percentage of male students (25 percent) than female students (21 percent) reported a gang presence at their schools. Overall, a smaller percentage of White students (16 percent) and Asian students (17 percent) reported a gang presence at school than Black students (38 percent) and Hispanic students (36 percent) in 2007. Generally, a smaller percentage of 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-graders reported a gang presence at their school than 9th-, 10th-, 11th-, and 12th-graders. In 2007, between 15 and 21 percent of 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-graders reported a gang presence at school compared to 24 to 28 percent of students in the higher grades. In 2007, a higher percentage of students attending public schools (25 percent) reported a gang presence at school than students attending private schools (5 percent). The total percentage of students who reported the presence of gangs at school was higher in 2005 (24 percent) than in 2003 (21 percent); however there was no measurable change in the percentage of students who reported the presence of gangs at school between the two most recent survey years (2005 and 2007) (figure 8.2 and table 8.1). ------------------------------------------------------- This indicator has been updated to include 2007 data. For more information: Table 8.1 and Bauer et al. (2008). ------------------------------------------------------ Indicator 9 Students' Reports of Drug Availability on School Property A smaller percentage of students reported that drugs were offered, sold, or given to them at school in 2007 (22 percent) than in 2005 (25 percent). The availability of drugs on school property has a disruptive and corrupting influence on the school environment (Nolin et al. 1997). In the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students in grades 9 12 were asked whether someone had offered, sold, or given them an illegal drug on school property in the 12 months before the survey. ***(Footnote 25 "On school property" was not defined for survey respondents).*** The percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported that drugs were made available to them on school property increased from 1993 to 1995 (from 24 to 32 percent), but subsequently decreased (to 25 percent in 2005 and 22 percent in 2007) (table 9.1 and figure 9.1). The percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported that drugs were made available to them on school property was lower in 2007 than it was in 2005 (22 vs. 25 percent). Reports of the availability of drugs on school property varied by student characteristics. A higher percentage of males than females reported that drugs were offered, sold, or given to them on school property in each survey year from 1993 to 2007 (figure 9.1 and table 9.1). For example, in 2007, 26 percent of males reported that drugs were available, compared with 19 percent of females. Some differences in the percentages of students reporting that drugs were offered, sold, or given to them on school property also appeared by grade. In 2007, the percentage of 10th-grade students (25 percent) who reported that drugs were made available to them was higher than the percentage for either 9th- or 12th-grade students (21 and 20 percent, respectively), but not measurably different from that of 11th-grade students. The percentages of students who reported having illegal drugs offered, sold, or given to them on school property differed across racial/ethnic groups (figure 9.2 and table 9.1). Specifically, in 2007, higher percentages of Hispanic and Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian students than Black, White, and Asian students reported that drugs were made available to them (29 and 38 percent vs. 19 21 percent). Although it appears that a higher percentage of Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian students than Hispanic students reported that drugs were made available to them, the difference was not found to be statistically significant. In 2007, student reports of the availability of drugs on school property varied among the 39 states and the District of Columbia for which data were available. Among these states and the District of Columbia, the percentage of students reporting that drugs were offered, sold, or given to them on school property ranged from 10 percent in Iowa to 37 percent in Arizona (table 9.2). --------------------------------------------------------- This indicator has been updated to include 2007 data. For more information: Tables 9.1 and 9.2 and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2008b). -------------------------------------------------------- Indicator 10 Students' Reports of Being Called Hate-Related Words and Seeing Hate-Related Graffiti In 2007, 10 percent of students ages 12 18 reported that someone at school had used hate-related words against them, and 35 percent had seen hate-related graffiti at school. In the 2007 School Crime Supplement ***(Footnote 26 In 2005 and 2007, the unit response rate for this survey did not meet NCES statistical standards; therefore, interpret the data with caution. In 2007, the reference period was the school year, whereas in prior survey years the reference period was the previous 6 months. Cognitive testing showed that estimates from 2007 are comparable to previous years. For more information, please see appendix A). *** to the National Crime Victimization Survey, students ages 12 18 were asked if someone at school had called them a derogatory word having to do with their race, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender, or sexual orientation at school. ***(Footnote 27 "At school" includes the school building, on school property, on a school bus, and, from 2001 onward, going to and from school).*** Students were also asked if they had seen hate-related graffiti at their school that is, hate-related words or symbols written in classrooms, bathrooms, hallways, or on the outside of the school building. With regard to hate-related words, students were asked to specify the characteristic to which the word was directed.***(Footnote 28 "Hate-related" refers to derogatory terms used by others in reference to students' personal characteristics).*** In 2007, 10 percent of students ages 12 18 reported that someone at school had used hate-related words against them during the school year (figure 10.1 and table 10.1). Thirty-five percent of students reported seeing hate-related graffiti at school during the school year. In 2007, students' experiences of being called specific types of hate-related words and seeing hate-related graffiti differed according to student and school characteristics. For example, a smaller percentage of 12th-graders (6 percent) reported being targets of a hate-related word than 6th-graders (12 percent); 7th-graders, 8th-graders, and 9th-graders (11 percent each); and 10th-graders (9 percent). A higher percentage of public school students reported being called a hate-related word and seeing hate-related graffiti than did private school students. In 2007, 10 percent of public school students reported being called a hate-related word and 36 percent reported seeing hate-related graffiti compared to 6 percent of private school students who reported being called a hate-related word and 19 percent who reported seeing hate-related graffiti. A higher percentage of White students and students of other races/ethnicities than Asian students reported seeing hate-related graffiti. However, no other measurable differences were found by race/ethnicity or by sex in the percentages of students who reported being called hate-related words or seeing hate-related graffiti. Between 2001 and 2007, the percentage of students who reported being the target of a hate-related word decreased from 12 to 10 percent. Between the two most recent survey years, 2005 and 2007, the percentage of students who reported being the target of a hate-related word was lower in 2007 (10 percent) than in 2005 (11 percent). There was no pattern of increase or decrease in the percentage of students who reported seeing hate-related graffiti between 1999 and 2007. However, the percentage of students who reported seeing hate-related graffiti was smaller in 2007 (35 percent) than in 2005 (38 percent). With regard to the specific characteristic to which the hate-related word was directed, in 2007, 5 percent of students reported hate-related words concerning their race, 3 percent reported words related to their ethnicity, 2 percent each reported words concerning their religion or gender, and 1 percent each reported words related to their disability or sexual orientation (figure 10.2 and table 10.2). Students' experiences of being targets of specific types of hate-related words in 2007 differed according to their sex and race/ethnicity (table 10.2). A greater percentage of female students than male students (3 vs. 1 percent) reported being called a gender-related hate word. However, a greater percentage of male students than female students reported being called hate-related words relating to race and ethnicity. Five percent of male students compared to 4 percent of female students reported being targets of a hate-related word regarding race and 4 percent of male students compared to 2 percent of female students reported being targets of a hate-related word regarding ethnicity. A smaller percentage of White students (3 percent) reported being called race-related hate words than Black students (7 percent), Hispanic students (6 percent), Asian students (11 percent), and students from other race/ethnicities (8 percent). Smaller percentages of both White students and Black students (2 percent each) reported hate-related words regarding their ethnicity than Hispanic and Asian students (7 percent each). ------------------------------------------------------- This indicator has been updated to include 2007 data. For more information: Tables 10.1 and 10.2 and Bauer et al. (2008). ------------------------------------------------------ Indicator 11 Bullying at School and Cyber-Bullying Anywhere In 2007, about 32 percent of 12- to 18-year-old students reported having been bullied at school during the school year and 4 percent reported having been cyber-bullied. Both bullying and being bullied at school are associated with key violence-related behaviors, including carrying weapons, fighting, and sustaining injuries from fighting (Nansel et al. 2003). In the 2007 School Crime Supplement ***(Footnote 29 In 2007, the unit response rate for this survey did not meet NCES statistical standards; therefore, interpret the data with caution. For more information, please see appendix A).*** to the National Crime Victimization Survey, students ages 12 18 were asked if they had been bullied at school during the school year.***(Footnote 30 "At school" includes the school building, on school property, on a school bus, or going to and from school).*** In 2007, about 32 percent of students reported having been bullied at school during the school year (figure 11.1 and table 11.1).***(Footnote 31 Bullying includes being made fun of; being the subject of rumors; being threatened with harm; being pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on; being pressured into doing things did not want to do; excluded; and having property destroyed on purpose).*** Twenty-one percent of students said that they had experienced bullying that consisted of being made fun of; 18 percent reported being the subject of rumors; 11 percent said that they were pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on; 6 percent said they were threatened with harm; 5 percent said they were excluded from activities on purpose; and 4 percent each said that someone tried to make them do things they did not want to do and that their property was destroyed on purpose (figure 11.2 and table 11.1). Of those students in 2007 who reported being bullied during the school year, 79 percent said that they were bullied inside the school, 23 percent said that they were bullied outside on school grounds, 8 percent said they were bullied on the school bus, and 4 percent said they were bullied somewhere else (figure 11.3 and table 11.2). Nine percent of all students reported that they had suffered injuries as a result of being pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on. Of these students who had been bullied, 63 percent said that they had been bullied once or twice during the school year, 21 percent had experienced bullying once or twice a month, 10 percent reported being bullied once or twice a week, and 7 percent said that they had been bullied almost daily (figure 11.4 and table 11.3). Thirty-six percent of students who were bullied notified a teacher or another adult at school about the event(s). In 2007, about 4 percent of students reported having been cyber-bullied ***(Footnote 32 Cyber-bullying includes students who responded that another student posted hurtful information about the respondent on the Internet; made unwanted contact by threatening or insulting the respondent via instant messaging; or made unwanted contact by threatening or insulting the respondent via text (SMS) messaging. The latter category did not meet statistical standards to be reported separately).*** anywhere (on or off school property) during the school year (figure 11.1 and table 11.1). Two percent of students said that they had experienced cyber-bullying that consisted of another student posting hurtful information about them on the Internet; and 2 percent of students reported unwanted contact, including being threatened or insulted, via instant messaging by another student during the school year (figure 11.2 and table 11.1). Of the students in 2007 who reported cyber-bullying during the school year, 73 percent said it had occurred once or twice during that period, 21 percent said it had occurred once or twice a month, and 5 percent said it had occurred once or twice a week (figure 11.4 and table 11.3). Thirty percent of students who were cyber-bullied notified a teacher or another adult at school about the event(s). Student reports of bullying and cyber-bullying varied by student characteristics. A greater percentage of female than male students reported being bullied at school and cyber-bullied anywhere during the school year (figure 11.1 and table 11.1). In 2007, 33 percent of female students reported being bullied at school compared to 30 percent of male students. Five percent of female students reported being cyber-bullied anywhere compared to 2 percent of male students. A higher percentage of White students (34 percent) reported being bullied at school in 2007 than Hispanic students (27 percent). In addition, a higher percentage of White students (34 percent) reported being bullied at school than Asian students (18 percent). ---------------------------------------------------- This indicator has been updated to include 2007 data. For more information: Tables 11.1, 11.2, and 11.3 and DeVoe and Kaffenberger (2005). ------------------------------------------------------ Indicator 12 Teachers' Reports on School Conditions The percentage of teachers who reported that student misbehavior, class cutting, and tardiness interfered with their teaching varied by teacher and school characteristics. A higher percentage of teachers in city schools than in suburban, rural, or town schools reported that misbehavior and student tardiness interfered with their teaching in 2003 04. Classroom disruptions are associated with lower student achievement for the offending student as well as for that student's classmates (Lannie and McCurdy 2007). In the Schools and Staffing Survey, public and private school teachers were asked if student misbehavior and student tardiness and class cutting interfered with their teaching. In 2003 04, 35 percent of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that student misbehavior interfered with their teaching, and 31 percent reported that student tardiness and class cutting interfered with their teaching (table 12.1). Teachers were also asked if school rules were enforced by other teachers at their school, even for students not in their classes, or by the principal. Seventy-two percent of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that other teachers at their school enforced the school rules and 88 percent reported that the principal enforced the school rules in 2003 04 (figure 12.1 and table 12.2). The percentage of teachers who reported that student misbehavior, class cutting, and tardiness interfered with their teaching varied by teacher and school characteristics. In 2003 04, a higher percentage of teachers in city schools than in suburban, town, or rural schools reported that misbehavior and student tardiness interfered with their teaching (table 12.1). For example, 42 percent of teachers in city schools reported that student misbehavior in their school interfered with their teaching, compared to 33 percent of suburban teachers, 34 percent of town teachers, and 31 percent of rural teachers. Between 1987 88 and 2003 04, a larger percentage of public school teachers than private school teachers reported that student misbehavior and tardiness interfered with their teaching (figure 12.2 and table 12.1). In 2003 04, about 37 percent of public school teachers reported that student misbehavior interfered with their teaching, compared to 21 percent of private school teachers. In 2003 04, a higher percentage of secondary school teachers than elementary school teachers agreed that student misbehavior, student tardiness, and class cutting interfered with their teaching (table 12.1). In 2003 04, for example, 40 percent of secondary school teachers reported that student misbehavior interfered with their teaching, compared to 34 percent of elementary teachers. The percentage of teachers who agreed that school rules were enforced by other teachers varied by teacher and school characteristics. In every survey year, a higher percentage of elementary school teachers than secondary school teachers agreed that school rules were enforced by teachers in their school, even for students not in their class (table 12.2 and figure 12.1). In 2003 04, for example, 79 percent of elementary teachers reported that school rules were enforced by other teachers compared to 56 percent of secondary teachers. Generally, the percentage of teachers who agreed or strongly agreed that school rules were enforced by other teachers was greater in schools with smaller school enrollment (table 12.2). In 2003 04, about 84 percent of teachers in schools with fewer than 200 students agreed that school rules were enforced by other teachers, compared to 56 percent of teachers in schools with 1,000 or more students. ------------------------------------------------------- This indicator repeats information from the 2007 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report. For more information: Tables 12.1 and 12.2, appendix B for definitions of school levels and urbanicity codes, and Strizek et al. (2006). -------------------------------------------------------- FIGHTS, WEAPONS, AND ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES Indicator 13 Physical Fights on School Property and Anywhere 44 Figure 13.1 45 Figure 13.2 45 Indicator 14 Students Carrying Weapons on School Property and Anywhere 46 Figure 14.1 47 Figure 14.2 47 Indicator 15 Students' Use of Alcohol on School Property and Anywhere 48 Figure 15.1 49 Figure 15.2 49 Indicator 16 Students' Use of Marijuana on School Property and Anywhere 50 Figure 16.1 51 Figure 16.2 51 Indicator 13 Physical Fights on School Property and Anywhere The percentage of students in grades 9 12 who reported being in a physical fight on school property decreased from 16 percent in 1993 to 12 percent in 2007. Schools where physical fights occur frequently may not be able to maintain a focused learning environment for students. Also, students who participate in fights on school property may have difficulty succeeding in their studies (Payne, Gottfredson, and Gottfredson 2003). In the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students in grades 9 12 were asked about their general involvement in physical fights (referred to as "anywhere" in this indicator) during the preceding 12 months, as well as about their involvement in physical fights on school property.***(Footnote 33 "On school property" was not defined for survey respondents).*** Fights occurring anywhere are included as a point of comparison with fights occurring on school property. In 2007, 36 percent of students in grades 9 12 reported having been in a fight anywhere, and 12 percent said they had been in a fight on school property (figure 13.1 and table 13.1). The percentage of students who reported having been in a fight anywhere decreased from 1993 to 2003 (from 42 to 33 percent). From 2003 to 2005, this percentage rose to 36 percent, but no measurable change was seen between 2005 and 2007. The percentage of students who reported having been in a fight on school property declined from 16 percent in 1993 to 12 percent in 2007. In all survey years, a higher percentage of males than females reported having been in a fight both anywhere and on school property (figure 13.1 and table 13.1). In 2007, 44 percent of males said they had been in a fight anywhere, compared with 27 percent of females. In the same year, 16 percent of males said they had been in a fight on school property, compared with 9 percent of females. From 1993 through 2003, the percentage of both males and females who reported they had been in a fight anywhere decreased. The percentage of males reporting they had been in a fight on school property decreased from 1993 to 2007, however, there was no measurable change in the percentage of females who reported fighting on school property. Generally, a higher percentage of students in 9th grade reported having been in fights than students in 11th and 12th grades, both anywhere and on school property (figure 13.2 and table 13.1). For example, in 2007, 41 percent of 9th-graders compared with 35 percent of 11th-graders, and 28 percent of 12th-graders reported having been in a fight anywhere. Similarly, 17 percent of 9th-graders compared with 11 percent of 11th-graders, and 9 percent of 12th-graders reported being in a fight on school property in 2007. The percentage of students engaging in fights varied according to their race/ethnicity in 2007. A smaller percentage of Asian students than students from all other racial/ethnic groups reported having been in a fight anywhere. Twenty-four percent of Asian students reported being in a fight, compared with 32 to 48 percent of students from other racial/ethnic groups. In addition, a higher percentage of Black students and students of more than one race reported having been in a fight anywhere than their White, Hispanic, or American Indian/Alaska Native peers. A lower percentage of Asian and White students reported having been in a fight on school property in 2007 than Black students, Hispanic students, American Indian/Alaska Native students, or students of more than one race (8 and 10 percent vs. 15 to 20 percent). In 2007, the percentage of students who reported having been in a fight anywhere (38 states and the District of Columbia) and on school property (39 states and the District of Columbia) varied among the states and the District of Columbia for which data were available. Among these states and the District of Columbia, the percentage of students reporting being in a fight anywhere ranged from 24 percent in Iowa to 43 percent in the District of Columbia, while the percentage of students reporting being in a fight on school property ranged from 7 percent in Hawaii to 20 percent in the District of Columbia (table 13.2). -------------------------------------------------------- This indicator has been updated to include 2007 data. For more information: Tables 13.1 and 13.2 and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2008b). ------------------------------------------------------- Indicator 14 Students Carrying Weapons on School Property and Anywhere In 2007, 18 percent of students in grades 9 12 reported they had carried a weapon anywhere in the past 30 days, while 6 percent reported they had carried a weapon on school property. The presence of weapons at school may interfere with teaching and learning by creating an intimidating and threatening atmosphere (Aspy et al. 2004). In the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students were asked if they had carried a weapon such as a gun, knife, or club (referred to as "anywhere" in this indicator) in the past 30 days as well as if they had carried one of these weapons on school property.***(Footnote 34 "On school property" was not defined for survey respondents).*** Weapon carrying anywhere is included as a point of comparison with weapon carrying on school property. In 2007, 18 percent of students in grades 9 12 reported they had carried a weapon anywhere, and 6 percent reported they had carried a weapon on school property (figure 14.1 and table 14.1). The percentage of students who reported carrying a weapon anywhere declined from 22 to 17 percent between 1993 and 2003. Subsequently, however, from 2003 to 2007 there was no measurable change in the percentage of students who reported carrying a weapon anywhere. Between 1993 and 2007, the percentage of students who reported carrying a weapon on school property declined from 12 to 6 percent; generally, however, the decline was gradual as no differences were detected survey year to survey year. In every survey year, generally, there were at least three times as many males as females who reported carrying a weapon either anywhere or on school property (figure 14.1 and table 14.1). In 2007, for example, 9 percent of males carried a weapon on school property, compared to 3 percent of females, and 29 percent of males carried a weapon anywhere, compared to 7 percent of females. In 2007, few differences were detected based on students' race/ethnicity in the percentage of students who reported carrying weapons anywhere and on school property. A smaller percentage of Asian students (8 percent) than students from other racial/ethnic groups reported carrying a weapon anywhere, but no measurable differences were detected among Black students (17 percent), White students (18 percent), and Hispanic students (19 percent). A larger percentage of Hispanic students (7 percent) than White students (5 percent) and Asian students (4 percent) reported carrying a weapon during the previous 30 days on school property in 2007, but no other differences were detected by race/ethnicity. In 2007, 20 percent of 9th-graders reported carrying a weapon anywhere compared to 15 percent of 12th-graders (figure 14.2 and table 14.1). However, no differences were detected in the percentage of students who reported carrying a weapon on school property by grade level. In 2007, the percentage of students who reported carrying a weapon anywhere (36 states and the District of Columbia) and on school property (39 states and the District of Columbia) varied among the states and the District of Columbia for which data were available. Among these states and the District of Columbia, the percentage of students reporting carrying a weapon anywhere ranged from 13 percent in Iowa to 27 percent in New Mexico, while the percentage of students reporting carrying a weapon on school property ranged from 4 percent in Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio and Wisconsin to 11 percent in Wyoming (table 14.2). --------------------------------------------------------- This indicator has been updated to include 2007 data. For more information: Tables 14.1 and 14.2 and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2008b). -------------------------------------------------------- Indicator 15 Students' Use of Alcohol on School Property and Anywhere In 2007, 45 percent of students in grades 9 12 reported having at least one drink of alcohol anywhere in the past 30 days, while 4 percent had at least one drink on school property. Students' illegal consumption of alcohol on school property may lead to additional crimes and misbehavior (Kodjo, Auinger, and Ryan 2003). It may also foster a school environment that is harmful to students, teachers, and other staff (Fagan and Wilkinson 1998). In the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students in grades 9 12 were asked whether they had consumed alcohol at all (referred to as "anywhere" in this indicator) in the past 30 days and if they had consumed alcohol on school property.***(Footnote 35 "On school property" was not defined for survey respondents).*** Alcohol consumption anywhere is included as a point of comparison with alcohol consumption on school property. In 2007, 45 percent of students consumed at least one drink of alcohol anywhere, and 4 percent consumed at least one drink on school property (figure 15.1 and table 15.1). The percentage of students who reported drinking alcohol anywhere was higher in 1995 (52 percent) than in 1993 (48 percent), and declined from 1995 to 2007 to 45 percent. Generally, the percentage of students who reported consuming alcohol on school property declined from 6 percent in 1995 to 4 percent in 2007. The percentage of students who reported drinking alcohol anywhere or on school property varied by student characteristics such as sex, grade level, and race/ethnicity. In every survey year, a greater percentage of males than females reported using alcohol on school property. For example, in 2007, 5 percent of males compared to 4 percent of females reported using alcohol on school property. However, since 2003, there has been no measurable difference in the percentage of males and females who reported using alcohol anywhere. In 2007, 45 percent of both males and females reported using alcohol anywhere. A larger percentage of students in higher grades than in lower grades reported drinking alcohol anywhere in 2007. For example, 55 percent of 12th-graders reported using alcohol, compared to 36 percent of 9th-graders, 42 percent of 10th-graders, and 49 percent of 11th-graders (figure 15.2 and table 15.1). A higher percentage of 12th-graders (5 percent) than 9th-graders (3 percent) reported drinking on school property; however, no measurable differences were found among other grade levels. In 2007, a larger percentage of White and Hispanic students reported drinking alcohol anywhere than their Black, Asian, or American Indian/Alaska Native peers, and a smaller percentage of Asian students reported drinking alcohol anywhere than students from other race/ethnicities. Forty-seven percent of White students and 48 percent of Hispanic students reported drinking alcohol anywhere compared to 35 percent of American Indian/Alaska Native students, 34 percent of Black students, and 25 percent of Asian students. A greater percentage of Hispanic students (7 percent) reported using alcohol on school property in 2007 than White students (3 percent), Black students (3 percent), Asian students (4 percent), or American Indian/Alaska Native students (5 percent). In 2007, the percentage of students who reported drinking alcohol anywhere (39 states and the District of Columbia) and on school property (38 states and the District of Columbia) varied among the states and the District of Columbia for which data were available. Among these states and the District of Columbia, the percentage of students who reported drinking alcohol anywhere ranged from 17 percent in Utah to 49 percent in Wisconsin, while the percentage of students who reported drinking on school property ranged from 3 percent in Iowa, Missouri, and Ohio to 9 percent in New Mexico (table 15.2). --------------------------------------------------------- This indicator has been updated to include 2007 data. For more information: Tables 15.1 and 15.2 and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2008b). -------------------------------------------------------- Indicator 16 Students' Use of Marijuana on School Property and Anywhere In 2007, 20 percent of students in grades 9 12 reported using marijuana anywhere in the past 30 days, while 4 percent reported using marijuana on school property. In the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students in grades 9 12 were asked whether they had used marijuana at all (referred to as "anywhere" in this indicator) in the past 30 days as well as whether they had used marijuana on school property. ***(Footnote 36 "On school property" was not defined for survey respondents).*** In 2007, 20 percent of students in grades 9 12 reported using marijuana anywhere in the past 30 days, while 4 percent reported using marijuana on school property (figure 16.1 and table 16.1). The percentage of students who reported using marijuana anywhere was higher in 1995 (25 percent) than in 1993 (18 percent). During the second half of the 1990s, there was no measurable change in the percentage of students who reported using marijuana anywhere (it ranged from 25 to 27 percent). Between 1999 and 2007, the percentage of students who reported using marijuana anywhere had declined to 20 percent. However, there was no measurable change in the percentage of students who reported using marijuana anywhere between 2005 and 2007. With regard to marijuana use on school property, the percentage of students who reported using marijuana was higher in 1995 (9 percent) than the percentage who reported doing so in 1993 (6 percent). Between 1995 and 2007, the percentage of students who reported using marijuana on school property declined from 9 to 4 percent. The percentage of students who reported using marijuana on school property in 2007 was not measurably different from the percentage of students who reported doing so in 1993. Marijuana use anywhere and on school property varied by students' sex and grade level. In every survey year, a greater percentage of males than females reported using marijuana in the past 30 days, both anywhere and on school property. For example, in 2007, 22 percent of males reported using marijuana anywhere in the past 30 days compared to 17 percent of females, and 6 percent of males reported using marijuana on school property compared to 3 percent of females. In 2007, a smaller percentage of 9th-grade students than students in higher grades reported using marijuana anywhere. In 2007, 15 percent of 9th-grade students reported using marijuana anywhere compared to 19 percent of 10th-graders, 21 percent of 11th-graders, and 25 percent of 12th-graders (figure 16.2 and table 16.1). There were no measurable differences in student reports of marijuana use on school property by school level in 2007. In 2007, a smaller percentage of Asian students (9 percent) than students from other racial/ethnic groups (ranging from 18 to 29 percent) reported using marijuana anywhere. A larger percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native students (27 percent) than White students (20 percent), Hispanic students (18 percent), and Asian students (9 percent) also reported using marijuana anywhere. At school, there were generally few differences in the percentage of students who reported using marijuana by race/ethnicity in 2007. In 2007, the percentage of students who reported using marijuana anywhere (39 states and the District of Columbia) and on school property (38 states and the District of Columbia) varied among the states and the District of Columbia for which data were available. Among these states and the District of Columbia, the percentage of students who reported using marijuana anywhere ranged from 9 percent in Utah to 25 percent in Delaware, Massachusetts, and New Mexico, while the percentage of students who reported using marijuana on school property and ranged from 2 percent in Iowa to 8 percent in New Mexico (table 16.2). -------------------------------------------------------- This indicator has been updated to include 2007 data. For more information: Tables 16.1 and 16.2 and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2008b). --------------------------------------------------- FEAR AND AVOIDANCE Indicator 17 Students' Perceptions of Personal Safety at School and Away From School 54 Figure 17.1 55 Figure 17.2 55 Indicator 18 Students' Reports of Avoiding School Activities or Specific Places in School 56 Figure 18.1 57 Figure 18.2 58 Indicator 17 Students' Perceptions of Personal Safety at School and Away From School In 2007, approximately 5 percent of students ages 12 18 reported that they were afraid of attack or harm at school, compared to 3 percent of students who reported that they were afraid of attack or harm away from school. School violence can make students fearful and affect their readiness and ability to learn, and concerns about vulnerability to attacks detract from a positive school environment (Scheckner et al. 2002). In the School Crime Supplement ***(Footnote 37 In 2005 and 2007, the unit response rate for this survey did not meet NCES statistical standards; therefore, interpret the data with caution. In 2007, the reference period was the school year, whereas in prior survey years the reference period was the previous 6 months. Cognitive testing showed that estimates from 2007 are comparable to previous years. For more information, please see appendix A).*** to the National Crime Victimization Survey, students ages 12 18 were asked how often they had been afraid of attack or harm "at school or on the way to and from school" and "away from school."***(Footnote 39 "At school" includes the school building, on school property, on a school bus).*** In 2007, a greater percentage of students ages 12 18 reported that they were afraid of attack or harm at school (5 percent) than away from school (3 percent) during the school year (figure 17.1 and table 17.1). Students' reports on their fears about their safety varied by location and race/ethnicity. For example, in 2007, smaller percentages of White students (4 percent) and Asian students (2 percent) reported being afraid of attack or harm at school than their Black (9 percent) and Hispanic (7 percent) peers. Away from school, a smaller percentage of White students (3 percent) than Black students (5 percent) and Hispanic students (6 percent) reported being afraid of attack or harm. Other differences in students' reports on their safety were detected by student and school characteristics in 2007. For example, a higher percentage of 6th-graders 10 percent) reported being afraid of attack or harm at school than 7th-graders (7 percent), 8th-graders (5 percent), 9th-graders (6 percent), 10th-graders (5 percent), and 11th- and 12th-graders (3 percent each). Away from school, a larger percentage of 6th-graders (6 percent) were afraid of attack or harm than students in the 10th, 11th, or 12th grades (2 to 3 percent). A greater percentage of female students (6 percent) feared for their safety at school than male students (5 percent) in 2007. The same was true away from school: 5 percent of females feared for their safety compared to 2 percent of males. School sector was also related to students' fear of attack or harm. A greater percentage of students in public schools (6 percent) reported being afraid of being attacked or harmed at school than students attending private schools (2 percent). There was no significant difference in the percentage of public and private school students who reported being afraid of attack or harm away from school. Between 1995 and 2007, the percentage of students who feared attack or harm at school decreased from 12 to 5 percent. Between the two most recent survey years, 2005 and 2007, the percentage of students who feared attack or harm at school was lower in 2007 (5 percent) than in 2005 (6 percent). Away from school, there was no pattern of increase or decrease in the percentage of students who feared attack or harm between 1999 and 2007. However, the percentage of students who feared attack or harm away from school was smaller in 2007 (3 percent) than in 2005 (5 percent). ------------------------------------------------------- This indicator has been updated to include 2007 data. For more information: Table 17.1 and Bauer et al. (2008). -------------------------------------------------------- Indicator 18 Students' Reports of Avoiding School Activities or Specific Places in School In 2007, 7 percent of students ages 12 18 reported that they avoided school activities or one or more places in school because they thought someone might attack or harm them. School crime may lead students to perceive school as unsafe, and in trying to ensure their own safety, students may begin to skip school activities or avoid certain places in school (Schreck and Miller 2003). The percentage of students who avoid school activities and certain areas in school is a measure of their perception of school safety. In the School Crime Supplement ***(Footnote 39 In 2005 and 2007, the unit response rate for this survey did not meet NCES statistical standards; therefore, interpret the data with caution. In 2007, the reference period was the school year, whereas in prior survey years the reference period was the previous 6 months. Cognitive testing showed that estimates from 2007 are comparable to previous years. For more information, please see appendix A).*** to the National Crime Victimization Survey, students ages 12 18 were asked whether they had avoided school activities or one or more places in school because they were fearful that someone might attack or harm them.***(Footnote 40 For the 2001 survey, the wording was changed from "attack or harm" to "attack or threat of attack." See appendix A for more information).*** In 2007, 7 percent of students reported that they had avoided a school activity or one or more places in school during the previous school year because of fear of attack or harm. About 3 percent of students avoided a school activity, and 6 percent avoided one or more places in school ***(Footnote 41 "Avoided school activities" includes avoiding any (extracurricular) activities, skipping class, or staying home from school. In 2007, the survey wording was changed from "any extracurricular activities" to "any activities." Please use caution when comparing changes in this item over time. Avoiding one or more places in school includes the entrance, any hallways or stairs, parts of the cafeteria, restrooms, and other places inside the school building).*** (figure 18.1 and table 18.1). While there was no overall pattern of increase or decrease between 1999 and 2007 in the percentage of students who reported that they had avoided a school activity or one or more places in school because they were fearful that someone might attack or harm them, the percentage of students who reported avoiding an activity or place because of fear of attack or harm was higher in 2007 (7 percent) than in 2005 (6 percent). In 2007, 2 percent of students reported that they had avoided any activity, 1 percent of students reported that they had avoided a class, and 1 percent of students reported that they had stayed home from school because they were fearful someone might attack or harm them. One percent of students reported that they had avoided the entrance to the school, 3 percent that they had avoided the stairs or hallways, 2 percent that they had avoided parts of the school cafeteria, 3 percent that they had avoided any school restrooms, and 1 percent that they had avoided other places inside the school building because of fear of attack or harm in 2007. Students' reports of avoiding one or more places in school because of fear of attack or harm varied by student and school characteristics. A higher percentage of 7th-graders (7 percent), 8th-graders (6 percent), 9th-graders (7 percent), and 10th-graders (5 percent) reported avoiding one or more places inside school than 12th-graders (3 percent) (figure 18.2). Additionally, a higher percentage of 6th-graders (8 percent), 7th-graders (7 percent), and 9th-graders (7 percent) than 11th-graders (4 percent) reported of avoiding one or more places in school because of fear of attack or harm. No measurable difference was detected in the extent to which females and males avoided one or more places in school in 2007 (5 and 6 percent, respectively). A larger percentage of public school students (6 percent) than private school students (1 percent) reported avoiding one or more places inside school because of fear of attack or harm. --------------------------------------------------------- This indicator has been updated to include 2007 data. For more information: Tables 18.1 and 18.2 and Bauer et al. (2008). ---------------------------------------------------------- DISCIPLINE, SAFETY, AND SECURITY MEASURES Indicator 19 Serious Disciplinary Actions Taken by Public Schools 60 Figure 19.1 61 Figure 19.2 61 Indicator 20 Safety and Security Measures Taken by Public Schools 62 Figure 20.1 63 Figure 20.2 64 Indicator 21 Students' Reports of Safety and Security Measures Observed at School 66 Figure 21.1 67 Indicator 19 Serious Disciplinary Actions Taken by Public Schools Forty-eight percent of public schools (approximately 39,600 schools) took a serious disciplinary action against a student for specific offenses during the 2005 06 school year. Of those disciplinary actions, 74 percent were suspensions lasting 5 days or more, 5 percent were removals with no services (i.e., expulsions), and 20 percent were transfers to specialized schools. In the School Survey on Crime and Safety, public school officials were asked to report the number of disciplinary actions their schools took against students for specific offenses. Forty-eight percent of public schools (approximately 39,600 schools) took at least one serious disciplinary action against a student including suspensions lasting 5 days or more, removals with no services (i.e., expulsions), and transfers to specialized schools for specific offenses during the 2005 06 school year (table 19.1). The offenses included physical attacks or fights; insubordination; distribution, possession, or use of alcohol; distribution, possession, or use of illegal drugs; use or possession of a weapon other than a firearm or explosive device; and use or possession of a firearm or explosive device. Of the 830,700 serious disciplinary actions taken during the 2005 06 school year, 74 percent were suspensions for 5 days or more, 5 percent were removals with no services, and 20 percent were transfers to specialized schools. The largest percentage of schools that reported taking a disciplinary action in 2005 06 did so in response to a physical attack or fight: 32 percent of schools took a serious disciplinary action for physical attacks or fights (figure 19.1 and table 19.1). Of the schools that reported taking a serious disciplinary action, 21 percent took action for insubordination and for distribution, possession, or use of illegal drugs; 19 percent took action as a result of use or possession of a weapon other than a firearm or explosive device; 10 percent did so for distribution, possession, or use of alcohol; and 5 percent did so for use or possession of a firearm or explosive device. The percentage of schools that took a serious disciplinary action for use or possession of a weapon other than a firearm was higher in 2005 06, 19 percent, than in 2003 04, 17 percent (table 19.2). The percentage of schools that took a serious disciplinary action in response to the other offenses covered in the survey were not measurably different between 2003 04 and 2005 06. The percentage of public schools that took a serious disciplinary action was smaller in 2003 04, 46 percent, than in 1999 2000, 54 percent (figure 19.2 and table 19.2). This pattern held for physical attacks or fights: in 1999 2000, 35 percent of public schools took a serious disciplinary action for a physical attack or fight, compared to 32 percent in 2003 04. --------------------------------------------------------- This indicator repeats information from the 2007 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report. For more information: Tables 19.1 and 19.2 and Nolle, Guerino, and Dinkes (2007). --------------------------------------------------------- Indicator 20 Safety and Security Measures Taken by Public Schools Between the 1999 2000 and 2005 06 school years, the percentage of schools using one or more security cameras to monitor the school increased from 19 to 43 percent. Public schools use a variety of practices and procedures intended to promote the safety of students and staff. This indicator provides information on what types of safety and security measures schools use and how frequently they use them. In the School Survey on Crime and Safety, public school officials were asked about their school's use of such measures and procedures. Certain practices, such as locked or monitored doors or gates, are intended to limit or control access to school campuses, while others, such as metal detectors, security cameras, and drug sweeps, are intended to monitor or restrict students' and visitors' behavior on campus. In the 2005 06 school year, 85 percent of public schools controlled access to school buildings by locking or monitoring doors during school hours, and 41 percent controlled access to school grounds with locked or monitored gates (figure 20.1 and table 20.1). About 48 percent of public schools required faculty and staff to wear badges or picture identification, and 43 percent used one or more security cameras to monitor the school. Five percent of public schools performed drug testing on athletes and 3 percent did so for students in other extracurricular activities. Students were required to wear uniforms in 14 percent of public schools in 2005 06. The use of security measures varied by school level. Although a lower percentage of primary schools than middle and high schools reported using many of these measures, a higher percentage of primary schools than middle and high schools controlled access to school buildings and grounds during school hours (table 20.1). In addition, a larger percentage of primary schools than high schools reported requiring students to wear uniforms: 16 percent of primary schools required uniforms in 2005 06, compared to 5 percent of high schools. A higher percentage of public high schools than primary or middle schools reported performing drug tests on student athletes and students in extracurricular activities, random dog sniffs to check for drugs, random sweeps for contraband, and using security cameras. Thirteen percent of high schools reported performing drug tests on athletes, compared to 7 percent of middle schools and 1 percent of primary schools; and 61 percent of high schools performed random dog sniffs to check for drugs, compared to 41 percent and 4 percent of middle and primary schools, respectively. The percentage of schools using various security measures has changed over time. Between the 1999 2000 and 2005 06 school years, the percentage of schools using one or more security cameras to monitor the school increased from 19 to 43 percent (figure 20.2 and table 20.2). The percentage of public schools providing telephones in most classrooms also increased, from 45 percent in 1999 2000 to 67 percent in 2005 06. ------------------------------------------------------- This indicator repeats information from the 2007 Indicators of School Crime and Safety report. For more information: Tables 20.1 and 20.2; Appendix B for definitions of school levels and urbanicity; and Nolle, Guerino, and Dinkes (2007). ------------------------------------------------------- Indicator 21 Students' Reports of Safety and Security Measures Observed at School Sixty-six percent of students reported observing the use of one or more security cameras at their school in 2007 compared to 58 percent of students in 2005. Schools use a variety of measures to promote the safety of students, ranging from codes of student conduct to metal detectors. In the School Crime Supplement ***(Footnote 42 In 2005 and 2007, the unit response rate for this survey did not meet NCES statistical standards; therefore, interpret the data with caution. For more information, please see appendix A.*** to the National Crime Victimization Survey, students ages 12 18 were asked whether their school used certain security measures).***(Footnote 43 Readers should note that this indicator relies on student reports of security measures and provides estimates based on students' awareness of the measure rather than on documented practice. See Indicator 20 for a summary of the use of various security measures as reported by schools).*** Security measures include metal detectors, locker checks, security cameras, security guards or police officers, adult supervision in hallways, badges or picture identification for students, a code of student conduct, locked entrance or exit doors during the day, and a requirement that visitors sign in. In 2007, nearly all students ages 12 18 observed the use of at least one of the selected security measures at their school (figure 21.1 and table 21.1). In 2007, the majority of students ages 12 18 reported that their school had a code of student conduct (96 percent) and a requirement that visitors sign in (94 percent). Ninety percent of students reported the presence of school staff or other adult supervision in the hallway, and 69 percent reported the presence of security guards and/or assigned police officers. Fifty-four percent of students reported locker checks, 61 percent reported locked entrance or exit doors during the day, and 66 percent reported the use of security cameras at their schools. Twenty-four percent of students reported that badges or picture identification were required. Metal detectors were the least observed of the selected safety and security measures: 10 percent of students reported the use of metal detectors at their school. The percentage of students reporting the presence of some of the selected security measures increased between the 2 most recent survey years as well as over longer time periods. For example, a greater percentage of students reported observing the use of one or more security cameras at their school in 2007 (66 percent) than in 2005 (58 percent). Over the longer time period of 2001 through 2007, the percentage of students who reported observing the use of one or more security cameras at their school increased from 39 to 66 percent. Similarly, a greater percentage of students reported locked entrance or exit doors during the day in 2007 (61 percent) than in 2005 (54 percent). Over the longer time period of 1999 through 2007, the percentage of students who reported locked entrance or exit doors during the day increased from 38 to 61 percent. In 2007, about 94 percent of students reported that their school had a requirement that visitors sign in compared to 93 percent of students in 2005. Between 1999 and 2007, the percentage of students who reported a visitor sign-in requirement increased from 87 to 94 percent. No significant differences were detected in the percentage of students who reported metal detectors, locker checks, the presence of security guards and/or assigned police officers, requirements that students wear badges or picture identification, or a code of student conduct in their schools across all survey years. ----------------------------------------------------- This indicator has been updated to include 2007 data. For more information: Table 21.1 and Bauer et al. (2008). ---------------------------------------------------------- REFERENCES Addington, L. (2005). Disentangling the Effects of Bounding and Mobility on Reports of Criminal Victimization. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 21(3): 1573 7799. Anderson, M., Kaufman, J., Simon, T., Barrios, L., Paulozzi, L., Ryan, G., Hammond, R., Modzeleski, W., Feucht, T., Potter, L., and the School-Associated Violent Deaths Study Group. (2001). School-Associated Violent Deaths in the United States, 1994 1999. 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Characteristics of Schools, Districts, Teachers, Principals, and School Libraries in the United States: 2003 04 Schools and Staffing Survey (NCES 2006-313 Revised). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC. U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2007). Crime in the United States 2006. Retrieved June 20, 2008, from http://www.fbi .gov/ucr/cius2006/data/table_01.html. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. (2008). Digest of Education Statistics, 2007 (NCES 2008-022). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Wei, H., and Williams, J.H. (2004). Relationship Between Peer Victimization and School Adjustment in Sixth-Grade Students: Investigating Mediation Effects. Violence and Victims, 19: 557 571. SUPPLEMENTAL TABLES APPENDIX A: TECHNICAL NOTES Technical Notes General Information The indicators in this report are based on information drawn from a variety of independent data sources, including national surveys of students, teachers, and principals, and data collections from federal departments and agencies, including the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Center for Education Statistics, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Each data source has an independent sample design, data collection method, and questionnaire design or is the result of a universe data collection. Universe data collections include a census of all known entities in a specific universe (e.g., all deaths occurring on school property). Readers should be cautious when comparing data from different sources. Differences in sampling procedures, populations, time periods, and question phrasing can all affect the comparability of results. For example, some questions from different surveys may appear the same, but were asked of different populations of students (e.g., students ages 12 18 or students in grades 9 12); in different years; about experiences that occurred within different periods of time (e.g., in the past 30 days or during the past 12 months); or at different locations (e.g., in school or anywhere). All comparisons described in this report are statistically significant at the .05 level. Estimates displayed in the text, figures, and tables are rounded from original estimates, not from a series of rounding. The following is a description of data sources, accuracy of estimates, and statistical procedures used in this report. Sources of Data This section briefly describes each of the datasets used in this report: the School-Associated Violent Deaths Surveillance Study, the Supplementary Homicide Reports, the Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System Fatal, the National Crime Victimization Survey, the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the Schools and Staffing Survey, and the School Survey on Crime and Safety. Directions for obtaining more information are provided at the end of each description. School-Associated Violent Deaths Surveillance Study (SAVD) The School-Associated Violent Deaths Surveillance Study (SAVD) is an epidemiological study developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice. SAVD seeks to describe the epidemiology of school-associated violent deaths, identify common features of these deaths, estimate the rate of school-associated violent death in the United States, and identify potential risk factors for these deaths.?The surveillance system includes descriptive data on all school-associated violent deaths in the United States, including all homicides, suicides, and unintentional firearm-related deaths where the fatal injury occurred on the campus of a functioning elementary or secondary school, while the victim was on the way to or from regular sessions at such a school, or while attending or on the way to or from an official school-sponsored event. Victims of such events include nonstudents as well as students and staff members. SAVD includes descriptive information about the school, event, victim(s), and offender(s). The SAVD Surveillance System has collected data from July 1, 1992, through the present. SAVD uses a four-step process to identify and collect data on school-associated violent deaths. Cases are initially identified through a search of the Lexis/Nexis newspaper and media database. Then police officials are contacted to confirm the details of the case and to determine if the event meets the case definition. Once a case is confirmed, a police official and a school official are interviewed regarding details about the school, event, victim(s), and offender(s). A copy of the full police report is also sought for each case. The information obtained on schools includes school demographics, attendance/absentee rates, suspension/expulsions and mobility, school history of weapon-carrying incidents, security measures, violence prevention activities, school response to the event, and school policies about weapon carrying. Event information includes the location of injury, the context of injury (while classes were being held, during break, etc.), motives for injury, method of injury, and school and community events happening around the time period. Information obtained on victim(s) and offender(s) includes demographics, circumstances of the event (date/time, alcohol or drug use, number of persons involved), types and origins of weapons, criminal history, psychological risk factors, school-related problems, extracurricular activities, and family history, including structure and stressors. One hundred and five school-associated violent deaths were identified from July 1, 1992 to June 30, 1994 (Kachur et al. 1996). A more recent report from this data collection identified 253 school-associated violent deaths between July 1, 1994 and June 30, 1999 (Anderson et al. 2001). Other publications from this study have described how the number of events changes during the school year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2001), the source of the firearms used in these events (Reza et al. 2003), and suicides that were associated with schools (Kauffman et al. 2004). The interviews conducted on cases between July 1, 1994, and June 30, 1999, achieved a response rate of 97 percent for police officials and 78 percent for school officials. The SAVD data are considered preliminary until interviews with school and law enforcement officials have been completed. The details learned during the interviews can occasionally change the classification of a case. For additional information about SAVD, contact: Jeff Hall Division of Violence Prevention National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Mailstop K60 4770 Buford Highway NE Atlanta, GA 30341 Telephone: (770) 488-4648 E-mail: jhall2@cdc.gov Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR) The Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR), which are a part of the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, provide incident-level information on criminal homicides, including situation (number of victims to number of offenders); the age, sex, and race of victims and offenders; types of weapons used; circumstances of the incident; and the relationship of the victim to the offender. The data are provided monthly to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by local law enforcement agencies participating in the FBI's UCR program. The data include murders and nonnegligent manslaughters in the United States from January 1976 to December 2005; that is, negligent manslaughters and justifiable homicides have been eliminated from the data. Based on law enforcement agency reports, the FBI estimates that 594,277 murders (including non-negligent manslaughters) were committed from 1976 to 2005. Agencies provided detailed information on 538,210 victims and 597,359 offenders. About 91 percent of homicides are included in the SHR. However, adjustments can be made to the weights to correct for missing reports. Estimates from the SHR used in this report were generated by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) using a weight developed by BJS that reconciles the counts of SHR homicide victims with those in the UCR for the 1992 through 2005 data years. The weight is the same for all cases for a given year. The weight represents the ratio of the number of homicides reported in the UCR to the number reported in the SHR. For additional information about SHR, contact: Communications Unit Criminal Justice Information Services Division Federal Bureau of Investigation Module D3 1000 Custer Hollow Road Clarksburg, WV 26306 Telephone: (304) 625-4995 E-mail: cjis_comm@leo.gov Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System Fatal (WISQARS Fatal) WISQARS Fatal provides mortality data related to injury. The mortality data reported in WISQARS Fatal come from death certificate data reported to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data include causes of death reported by attending physicians, medical examiners, and coroners. It also includes demographic information about decedents reported by funeral directors, who obtain that information from family members and other informants. NCHS collects, compiles, verifies, and prepares these data for release to the public. The data provide information about what types of injuries are leading causes of deaths, how common they are, and who they affect. These data are intended for a broad audience the public, the media, public health practitioners and researchers, and public health officials to increase their knowledge of injury. WISQARS Fatal mortality reports provide tables of the total numbers of injury-related deaths and the death rates per 100,000 U.S. population. The reports list deaths according to cause (mechanism) and intent (manner) of injury by state, race, Hispanic origin, sex, and age groupings. For more information on WISQARS Fatal, contact: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Mailstop K59 4770 Buford Highway NE Atlanta, GA 30341-3724 Telephone: (770) 488-1506 E-mail: ohcinfo@cdc.gov Internet: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), administered for the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau, is the nation's primary source of information on crime and the victims of crime. Initiated in 1972 and redesigned in 1992, the NCVS collects detailed information annually on the frequency and nature of the crimes of rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated and simple assault, theft, household burglary, and motor vehicle theft experienced by Americans and their households each year. The survey measures both crimes reported to police and crimes not reported to the police. Readers should note that in 2003, in accordance with changes to the Office of Management and Budget's standards for the classification of federal data on race and ethnicity, the NCVS item on race/ethnicity was modified. A question on Hispanic origin is followed by a question on race. The new question about race allows the respondent to choose more than one race and delineates Asian as a separate category from Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Analysis conducted by the Demographic Surveys Division at the U.S. Census Bureau showed that the new question had very little impact on the aggregate racial distribution of the NCVS respondents, with one exception. There was a 1.6 percentage point decrease in the percentage of respondents who reported themselves as White. Due to changes in race/ethnicity categories, comparisons of race/ethnicity across years should be made with caution. Due to changes in survey methodology in 2006 that mainly affected rural areas, 2006 estimates are not comparable to estimates based on NCVS data from previous years. Continuity between urban and suburban areas in the sample for both years (2005 and 2006) enabled year-to-year comparisons for these areas. The U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), and a panel of outside experts extensively reviewed the 2006 NCVS data and determined that there was a break in series between 2006 and previous years that prevented annual comparison of criminal victimization at the national level. This was mainly the result of three major changes in the survey methodology: (1) introducing a new sample to account for shifts in population and location of households that occur over time, (2) incorporating responses from households that were in the survey for the first time, and (3) using computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI). For more information on the 2006 NCVS data, see Criminal Victimization, 2006 at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cv06.pdf and the technical notes at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cv06tn.pdf. The number of NCVS eligible households in the sample in 2006 was about 41,800. They were selected using a stratified, multistage cluster design. In the first stage, the primary sampling units (PSUs), consisting of counties or groups of counties, were selected. In the second stage, smaller areas, called Enumeration Districts (EDs), were selected from each sampled PSU. Finally, from selected EDs, clusters of four households, called segments, were selected for interview. At each stage, the selection was done proportionate to population size in order to create a self-weighting sample. The final sample was augmented to account for households constructed after the decennial Census. Within each sampled household, U.S. Census Bureau personnel interviewed all household members age 12 and older to determine whether they had been victimized by the measured crimes during the 6 months preceding the interview. The first NCVS interview with a housing unit is conducted in person. Subsequent interviews are conducted by telephone, if possible. About 68,000 persons age 12 and older are interviewed each 6 months. Households remain in the sample for 3 years and are interviewed seven times at 6-month intervals. Since the survey's inception, the initial interview at each sample unit has been used only to bound future interviews to establish a time frame to avoid duplication of crimes uncovered in these subsequent interviews. Beginning in 2006, data from the initial interview have been adjusted to account for the effects of bounding and are included in the survey estimates. After their seventh interview, households are replaced by new sample households. The NCVS has consistently obtained a response rate of over 90 percent at the household level. The completion rates for persons within households were about 86 percent. Thus, final response rates were about 78 percent in 2006. Weights were developed to permit estimates for the total U.S. population 12 years and older. For more information about the NCVS, contact: Katrina Baum Victimization Statistics Branch Bureau of Justice Statistics U.S. Department of Justice 810 7th Street NW Washington, DC 20531 Telephone: (202) 307-5889 E-mail: Katrina.Baum@usdoj.gov Internet: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs School Crime Supplement (SCS) Created as a supplement to the NCVS and codesigned by the National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics, the School Crime Supplement (SCS) survey was conducted in 1989, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007 to collect additional information about school-related victimizations on a national level. This report includes data from the 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007 collections. The 1989 data are not included in this report as a result of methodological changes to the NCVS and SCS. The survey was designed to assist policymakers as well as academic researchers and practitioners at the federal, state, and local levels so that they can make informed decisions concerning crime in schools. The SCS asks students a number of key questions about their experiences with and perceptions of crime and violence that occurred inside their school, on school grounds, on a school bus, or on the way to or from school. Additional questions not included in the NCVS were also added to the SCS, such as those concerning preventive measures used by the school, students' participation in after school activities, students' perceptions of school rules, the presence of weapons and gangs in school, the presence of hate-related words and graffiti in school, student reports of bullying and reports of rejection at school, and the availability of drugs and alcohol in school, as well as attitudinal questions relating to fear of victimization and avoidance behavior at school. In all SCS survey years through 2005, the SCS was conducted for a 6-month period from January to June in all households selected for the NCVS (see discussion above for information about the NCVS sampling design and changes to the race/ethnicity item made for 2003 onward). It should be noted that the initial NCVS interview has always been included in the SCS data collection. Within these households, the eligible respondents for the SCS were those household members who had attended school at any time during the 6 months preceding the interview, were enrolled in grades 6 12, and were not home schooled. In 2007, the questionnaire was changed and household members who attended school any time during the school year were included. The age range of students covered in this report is 12 18 years of age. Eligible respondents were asked the supplemental questions in the SCS only after completing their entire NCVS interview. The prevalence of victimization for 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007 was calculated by using NCVS incident variables appended to the 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007 SCS data ?les. The NCVS type of crime variable was used to classify victimizations of students in the SCS as serious violent, violent, or theft. The NCVS variables asking where the incident happened and what the victim was doing when it happened were used to ascertain whether the incident happened at school. For prevalence of victimization, the NCVS definition of "at school" includes in the school building, on school property, or on the way to or from school. Only incidents that occurred inside the United States are included. In 2001, the SCS survey instrument was modified from previous collections. First, in 1995 and 1999, "at school" was defined for respondents as in the school building, on the school grounds, or on a school bus. In 2001, the definition for "at school" was changed to mean in the school building, on school property, on a school bus, or going to and from school. This change was made to the 2001 questionnaire in order to be consistent with the definition of "at school" as it is constructed in the NCVS and was also used as the definition in 2003, 2005, and 2007. Cognitive interviews conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau on the 1999 SCS suggested that modifications to the definition of "at school" would not have a substantial impact on the estimates. A total of 9,728 students participated in the 1995 SCS, 8,398 in 1999, 8,374 in 2001, 7,152 in 2003, 6,297 in 2005, and 5,618 in 2007. In the 2007 SCS, the household completion rate was 90 percent. In the 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2005 SCS, the household completion rates were 95 percent, 94 percent, 93 percent, 92 percent, and 91 percent, respectively, and the student completion rates were 78 percent, 78 percent, 77 percent, 70 percent, and 62 percent respectively. For the 2007 SCS, the student completion rate was 58 percent. Thus, the overall unweighted SCS response rate (calculated by multiplying the household completion rate by the student completion rate) was 74 percent in 1995, 73 percent in 1999, 72 percent in 2001, 64 percent in 2003, 56 percent in 2005, and 53 percent in 2007. Response rates for most survey items were high typically over 95 percent of all eligible respondents. The weights were developed to compensate for differential probabilities of selection and nonresponse. The weighted data permit inferences about the eligible student population who were enrolled in schools in 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007. Due to the low unit response rate in 2005 and 2007, a unit nonresponse bias analysis was done. There are two types of nonresponse: unit and item nonresponse. Unit response rates indicate how many sampled units have completed interviews. Because interviews with students could only be completed after households had responded to the NCVS, the unit completion rate for the SCS reflects both the household interview completion rate and the student interview completion rate. Nonresponse can greatly affect the strength and application of survey data by leading to an increase in variance as a result of a reduction in the actual size of the sample and can produce bias if the nonrespondents have characteristics of interest that are different from the respondents. Furthermore, imputation, a common recourse to nonresponse, can lead to the risk of underestimating the sampling error if imputed data are treated as though they were observed data. In order for response bias to occur, respondents must have different response rates and responses to particular survey variables. The magnitude of unit nonresponse bias is determined by the response rate and the differences between respondents and nonrespondents on key survey variables. Although the bias analysis cannot measure response bias since the SCS is a sample survey and it is not known how the population would have responded, the SCS sampling frame has four key student or school characteristic variables for which data is known for respondents and nonrespondents: sex, race/ethnicity, household income, and urbanicity, all of which are associated with student victimization. To the extent that there are differential responses by respondents in these groups, nonresponse bias is a concern. In 2005, the analysis of unit nonresponse bias found evidence of bias for the race, household income, and urbanicity variables. White (non-Hispanic) and Other (non-Hispanic) respondents had higher response rates than Black (non-Hispanic) and Hispanic respondents. Respondents from households with an income of $35,000 $49,999 and $50,000 or more had higher response rates than those from households with incomes of less than $7,500, $7,500 $14,999, $15,000 $24,999 and $25,000 $34,999. Respondents who live in urban areas had lower response rates than those who live in rural or suburban areas. Although the extent of nonresponse bias cannot be determined, weighting adjustments, which corrected for differential response rates, should have reduced the problem. In 2007, the analysis of unit nonresponse bias found evidence of bias by race, household income, and urbanicity variables. Hispanic respondents had lower response rates than other race/ethnicities. Respondents from households with an income of $25,000 or more had higher response rates than those from households with incomes of less than $7,500. Respondents who live in urban areas had lower response rates than those who live in rural areas. However, when responding students are compared to the eligible NCVS sample, there were no measurable differences between the responding students and the eligible students, suggesting the nonresponse bias has little impact on the overall estimates. For more information about SCS, contact: Kathryn A. Chandler National Center for Education Statistics 1990 K Street NW Washington, DC 20006 Telephone: (202) 502-7486 E-mail: kathryn.chandler@ed.gov Internet: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crime Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) The National School-Based Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is one component of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), an epidemiological surveillance system developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor the prevalence of youth behaviors that most influence health.***(Footnote 1 For more information on the YRBSS methodology, see Brener et al. (2004)).*** The YRBS focuses on priority health-risk behaviors established during youth that result in the most significant mortality, morbidity, disability, and social problems during both youth and adulthood. This report uses 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007 YRBS data. The YRBS uses a three-stage cluster sampling design to produce a nationally representative sample of students in grades 9 12 in the United States. The target population consisted of all public and private school students in grades 9 12 in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The first-stage sampling frame included selecting primary sampling units (PSUs) from strata formed on the basis of urbanization and the relative percentage of Black and Hispanic students in the PSU. These PSUs are either counties, subareas of large counties, or groups of smaller, adjacent counties. At the second stage, schools were selected with probability proportional to school enrollment size. The final stage of sampling consisted of randomly selecting, in each chosen school and in each of grades 9 12, one or two classrooms from either a required subject, such as English or social studies, or a required period, such as homeroom or second period. All students in selected classes were eligible to participate. Three strategies were used to oversample Black and Hispanic students: (1) larger sampling rates were used to select PSUs that are in high-Black and high-Hispanic strata; (2) a modified measure of size was used that increased the probability of selecting schools with a disproportionately high minority enrollment; and (3) two classes per grade, rather than one, were selected in schools with a high minority enrollment. Approximately 16,300, 10,900, 16,300, 15,300, 13,600, 15,200, 13,900, and 14,000 students participated in the 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007 surveys, respectively. The overall response rate was 70 percent for the 1993 survey, 60 percent for the 1995 survey, 69 percent for the 1997 survey, 66 percent for the 1999 survey, 63 percent for the 2001 survey, 67 percent for the 2003 survey, 67 percent for the 2005 survey, and 68 percent for the 2007 survey. NCES standards call for response rates of 85 percent or better for cross-sectional surveys, and bias analyses are required by NCES when that percentage is not achieved. For YRBS data, a full nonresponse bias analysis has not been done because the data necessary to do the analysis are not available. The weights were developed to adjust for nonresponse and the oversampling of Black and Hispanic students in the sample. The final weights were constructed so that only weighted proportions of students (not weighted counts of students) in each grade matched national population projections. State level data were downloaded from the Youth Online: Comprehensive Results web page (http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/yrbss/).Each state and local school-based YRBS employs a two-stage, cluster sample design to produce representative samples of students in grades 9 12 in their jurisdiction. All except a few state and local samples include only public schools, and each local sample includes only schools in the funded school district (e.g., San Diego Unified School District) rather than in the entire city (e.g., greater San Diego area). In the first sampling stage in all except a few states and districts, schools are selected with probability proportional to school enrollment size. In the second sampling stage, intact classes of a required subject or intact classes during a required period (e.g., second period) are selected randomly. All students in sampled classes are eligible to participate. Certain states and districts modify these procedures to meet their individual needs. For example, in a given state or district, all schools, rather than a sample of schools, might be selected to participate. State and local surveys that have a scientifically selected sample, appropriate documentation, and an overall response rate greater than or equal to 60 percent are weighted. The overall response rate reflects the school response rate multiplied by the student response rate. These three criteria are used to ensure that the data from those surveys can be considered representative of students in grades 9 12 in that jurisdiction. A weight is applied to each record to adjust for student nonresponse and the distribution of students by grade, sex, and race/ethnicity in each jurisdiction. Therefore, weighted estimates are representative of all students in grades 9 12 attending schools in each jurisdiction. Surveys that do not have an overall response rate of greater than or equal to 60 percent and do not have appropriate documentation are not weighted and are not included in this report. In 2007, a total of 39 states and 22 districts had weighted data. In sites with weighted data, the student sample sizes for the state and local YRBS ranged from 1,118 to 13,439. School response rates ranged from 69 to 100 percent, student response rates ranged from 60 to 92 percent, and overall response rates ranged from 60 to 90 percent. Readers should note that reports of these data published by the CDC do not include percentages where the denominator includes less than 100 unweighted cases. However, NCES publications do not include percentages where the denominator includes less than 30 unweighted cases. Therefore, estimates presented here may not appear in CDC publications of YRBS estimates and are considered unstable by CDC standards. In 1999, in accordance with changes to the Office of Management and Budget's standards for the classification of federal data on race and ethnicity, the YRBS item on race/ethnicity was modified. The version of the race and ethnicity question used in 1993, 1995, and 1997 was: How do you describe yourself? A. White not Hispanic B. Black not Hispanic C. Hispanic or Latino D. Asian or Pacific Islander E. American Indian or Alaskan Native F. Other The version used in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, and in the 2007 state and local surveys was: How do you describe yourself? (Select one or more responses.) A. American Indian or Alaska Native B. Asian C. Black or African American D. Hispanic or Latino E. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander F. White In the 2005 national survey and all 2007 surveys, race/ethnicity was computed from two questions: (1) "Are you Hispanic or Latino?" (response options were "yes" and "no"), and (2) "What is your race?" (response options were "American Indian or Alaska Native," "Asian," "Black or African American," "Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander," or "White"). For the second question, students could select more than one response option. For this report, students were classified as "Hispanic" if they answered "yes" to the first question, regardless of how they answered the second question. Students who answered "no" to the first question and selected more than one race/ethnicity in the second category were classified as "More than one race." Students who answered "no" to the first question and selected only one race/ethnicity were classified as that race/ethnicity. Race/ethnicity was classified as missing for students who did not answer the first question and for students who answered "no" to the first question but did not answer the second question. CDC has conducted two studies to understand the effect of changing the race/ethnicity item on the YRBS. Brener, Kann, and McManus (2003) found that allowing students to select more than one response to a single race/ethnicity question on the YRBS had only a minimal effect on reported race/ethnicity among high school students. Eaton, Brener, Kann, and Pittman (2007) found that self-reported race/ethnicity was similar regardless of whether the single-question or a two-question format was used. For additional information about the YRBS, contact: Laura Kann Division of Adolescent and School Health National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Mailstop K-33 4770 Buford Highway NE Atlanta, GA 30341-3717 Telephone: (770) 488-6181 E-mail: lkk1@cdc.gov Internet: http://www.cdc.gov/yrbs Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) This report draws upon data on teacher victimization from the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), which provides national- and state-level data on public schools and national- and affiliation-level data on private schools. The 1993 94, 1999 2000, and 2003 04 SASS were collected by the U.S. Census Bureau and sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). SASS consists of four sets of linked surveys, including surveys of schools, the principals of each selected school, a subsample of teachers within each school, and public school districts. In 1993 94, there were two sets of teacher surveys, public and private school teachers. In 1999 2000, there were four sets of teacher surveys, public, private, public charter, and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) school teachers. In 2003 04, there were three sets of teacher surveys, public (including public charter), private, and BIA. For this report, BIA and public charter schools are included with public schools. The public school sampling frames for the 1993 94, 1999 2000, and 2003 04 SASS were created using the 1991 92, 1997 98, and 2001 02 NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) Public School Universe Files, respectively. In SASS, a school was defined as an institution or part of an institution that provides classroom instruction to students; has one or more teachers to provide instruction; serves students in one or more of grades 1 12 or the ungraded equivalent and is located in one or more buildings. It was possible for two or more schools to share the same building; in this case they were treated as different schools if they had different administrations (i.e., principals). Since CCD and SASS differ in scope and their definition of a school, some records were deleted, added, or modified in order to provide better coverage and a more efficient sample design for SASS. Data were collected by multistage sampling, which began with the selection of schools. This report uses 1993 94, 1999 2000, and 2003 04 SASS data. Approximately 10,000 public schools and 3,300 private schools were selected to participate in the 1993 94 SASS, 11,100 public schools (9,900 public schools, 100 BIA-funded schools, and 1,100 charter schools) and 3,600 private schools were selected to participate in the 1999 2000 SASS, and 10,400 public schools (10,200 public schools and 200 BIA-funded schools) and 3,600 private schools were selected to participate in the 2003 04 SASS. Within each school, teachers selected were further stratified into one of five teacher types in the following hierarchy: (1) Asian or Pacific Islander; (2) American Indian, Aleut, or Eskimo; (3) teachers who teach classes designed for students with limited English proficiency; (4) teachers in their first, second, or third year of teaching; and (5) teachers not classified in any of the other groups. Within each teacher stratum, teachers were selected systematically with equal probability. In 1993 94, approximately 57,000 public school teachers and 11,500 private school teachers were sampled. In 1999 2000, 56,300 public school teachers, 500 BIA teachers, 4,400 public charter school teachers, and 10,800 private school teachers were sampled. In 2003 04, 52,500 public school teachers, 700 BIA teachers, and 10,000 private school teachers were sampled. This report focuses on responses from teachers. The overall weighted response rate for public school teachers in 1993 94 was 88 percent. In 1999 2000, the overall weighted response rates were 77 percent for public school teachers, and 86 and 72 percent for BIA and public charter school teachers, respectively (which are included with public school teachers for this report). In 2003 04, the overall weighted response rates were 76 percent for public school teachers and 86 percent for BIA-funded school teachers (who are included with public school teachers). For private school teachers, the overall weighted response rates were 80 percent, 67 percent, and 70 percent in 1993 94, 1999 2000, and 2003 04, respectively. Values were imputed for questionnaire items that should have been answered but were not. For additional information about SASS, contact: Kerry Gruber National Center for Education Statistics 1990 K Street NW Washington, DC 20006 Telephone: (202) 502-7349 E-mail: kerry.gruber@ed.gov Internet: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sass School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) The School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) was conducted by NCES in the spring of the 2005 06 school year. SSOCS focuses on incidents of specific crimes and offenses and a variety of specific discipline issues in public schools. It also covers characteristics of school policies, school violence prevention programs and policies, and school characteristics that have been associated with school crime. The survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of regular public primary, middle, high, and combined schools in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The sampling frame for the 2005 06 SSOCS was constructed from the 2003 04 NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe File. The CCD is an annual national database of all public K 12 schools and school districts. Certain types of schools were excluded from the CCD Public School Universe File in order to meet the sampling needs of SSOCS, including those in the outlying U.S. areas ***(Footnote 2 "U.S. outlying areas" include the following: America Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands).*** and Puerto Rico; overseas Department of Defense schools; newly closed schools, home schools, and schools with high grades of kindergarten or lower; special education, vocational, or alternative schools; schools sponsored by the Bureau of Indian Affairs; ungraded schools; and "intermediate units"***(Footnote 3 These are generally schools specializing in special education, alternative education, or juvenile halls).*** in California and Pennsylvania. The sample was stratified by instructional level, type of locale (e.g., city, urban fringe, etc.), and enrollment size. Within the primary strata, schools were also sorted by geographic region and by percentage of minority enrollment. In order to obtain a reasonable sample size of lower enrollment schools while giving a higher probability of selection to higher enrollment schools, the sample was allocated to each subgroup in proportion to the sum of the square roots of the total student enrollment in each school in that stratum. A total of 3,565 schools were selected for the study. In March 2006, questionnaires were mailed to school principals, who were asked to complete the survey or to have it completed by the person most knowledgeable about discipline issues at the school. A total of 2,724 schools completed the survey. The weighted overall response rate was 80.6 percent, and weighted item nonresponse rates ranged from 0.0 to 27.7 percent. A nonresponse bias analysis was conducted on the 13 items with weighted item nonresponse rates above 15 percent, and the detected bias was not deemed problematic enough to suppress any items from the data file. Weights were developed to adjust for the variable probabilities of selection and differential nonresponse and can be used to produce national estimates for regular public schools in the 2005 06 school year. For information on the 1999 2000 and 2003 04 iterations, see Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2006. For more information about the School Survey on Crime and Safety, contact: Kathryn A. Chandler National Center for Education Statistics 1990 K Street NW Washington, DC 20006 Telephone: (202) 502-7486 E-mail: kathryn.chandler@ed.gov Internet: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ssocs Accuracy of Estimates The accuracy of any statistic is determined by the joint effects of nonsampling and sampling errors. Both types of error affect the estimates presented in this report. Several sources can contribute to nonsampling errors. For example, members of the population of interest are inadvertently excluded from the sampling frame; sampled members refuse to answer some of the survey questions (item nonresponse) or all of the survey questions (questionnaire nonresponse); mistakes are made during data editing, coding, or entry; the responses that respondents provide differ from the "true" responses; or measurement instruments such as tests or questionnaires fail to measure the characteristics they are intended to measure. Although nonsampling errors due to questionnaire and item nonresponse can be reduced somewhat by the adjustment of sample weights and imputation procedures, correcting nonsampling errors or gauging the effects of these errors is usually difficult. Sampling errors occur because observations are made on samples rather than on entire populations. Surveys of population universes are not subject to sampling errors. Estimates based on a sample will differ somewhat from those that would have been obtained by a complete census of the relevant population using the same survey instruments, instructions, and procedures. The standard error of a statistic is a measure of the variation due to sampling; it indicates the precision of the statistic obtained in a particular sample. In addition, the standard errors for two sample statistics can be used to estimate the precision of the difference between the two statistics and to help determine whether the difference based on the sample is large enough so that it represents the population difference. Most of the data used in this report were obtained from complex sampling designs rather than a simple random design. The features of complex sampling require different techniques to calculate standard errors than are used for data collected using a simple random sampling. Therefore, calculation of standard from the ones used when the data are from a simple random sample. The Taylor series approximation technique or the balanced repeated replication (BRR) method was used to estimate most of the statistics and their standard errors in this report. Standard error calculation for data from the School Crime Supplement was based on the Taylor series approximation method using PSU and strata variables available from each dataset. For statistics based on all years of NCVS data, standard errors were derived from a formula developed by the U.S. Census Bureau, which consists of three generalized variance function (gvf) constant parameters that represent the curve fitted to the individual standard errors calculated using the Jackknife Repeated Replication technique. The coefficient of variation (CV) represents the ratio of the standard error to the mean. As an attribute of a distribution, the CV is an important measure of the reliability and accuracy of an estimate. In this report, the CV was calculated for all estimates, and in cases where the CV was at least 30 percent the estimates were noted with a ! symbol (interpret data with caution). In cases where the CV was greater than 50 percent, the estimate was determined not to meet reporting standards and was suppressed. Statistical Procedures The comparisons in the text have been tested for statistical significance to ensure that the differences are larger than might be expected due to sampling variation. Unless otherwise noted, all statements cited in the report are statistically significant at the .05 level. Several test procedures were used, depending upon the type of data being analyzed and the nature of the statement being tested. The primary test procedure used in this report was Student's t statistic, which tests the difference between two sample estimates, for example, between males and females. The formula used to compute the t statistic is as follows: (1) where E1 and E2 are the estimates to be compared and se1 and se2 are their corresponding standard errors. Note that this formula is valid only for independent estimates. When the estimates are not independent (for example, when comparing a total percentage with that for a subgroup included in the total), a covariance term (i.e., 2 * r * se1 * se2) must be subtracted from the denominator of the formula: (2) where r is the correlation coefficient. Once the t value was computed, it was compared with the published tables of values at certain critical levels, called alpha levels. For this report, an alpha value of .05 was used, which has a t value of 1.96. If the t value was larger than 1.96, then the difference between the two estimates is statistically significant at the 95 percent level. A linear trend test was used when differences among percentages were examined relative to ordered categories of a variable, rather than the differences between two discrete categories. This test allows one to examine whether, for example, the percentage of students using drugs increased (or decreased) over time or whether the percentage of students who reported being physically attacked in school increased (or decreased) with their age. Based on a regression with, for example, student's age as the independent variable and whether a student was physically attacked as the dependent variable, the test involves computing the regression coefficient (b) and its corresponding standard error (se). The ratio of these two (b/se) is the test statistic t. If t is greater than 1.96, the critical value for one comparison at the .05 alpha level, the hypothesis that there is a linear relationship between student's age and being physically attacked is not rejected. Some comparisons among categories of an ordered variable with three or more levels involved a test for a linear trend across all categories, rather than a series of tests between pairs of categories. In this report, when differences among percentages were examined relative to a variable with ordered categories, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for a linear relationship between the two variables. To do this, ANOVA models included orthogonal linear contrasts corresponding to successive levels of the independent variable. The squares of the Taylorized standard errors (that is, standard errors that were calculated by the Taylor series method), the variance between the means, and the unweighted sample sizes were used to partition the total sum of squares into within- and between-group sums of squares. These were used to create mean squares for the within- and between-group variance components and their corresponding F statistics, which were then compared with published values of F for a significance level of .05. Significant values of both the overall F and the F associated with the linear contrast term were required as evidence of a linear relationship between the two variables. APPENDIX B: GLOSSARY OF TERMS GLOSSARY OF TERMS General Terms Crime --Any violation of a statute or regulation or any act that the government has determined is injurious to the public, including felonies and misdemeanors. Such violation may or may not involve violence, and it may affect individuals or property. Incident -- A specific criminal act or offense involving one or more victims and one or more offenders. Multistage sampling -- A survey sampling technique in which there is more than one wave of sampling. That is, one sample of units is drawn, and then another sample is drawn within that sample. For example, at the first stage, a number of Census blocks may be sampled out of all the Census blocks in the United States. At the second stage, households are sampled within the previously sampled Census blocks. Prevalence -- The percentage of the population directly affected by crime in a given period. This rate is based upon specific information elicited directly from the respondent regarding crimes committed against his or her person, against his or her property, or against an individual bearing a unique relationship to him or her. It is not based upon perceptions and beliefs about, or reactions to, criminal acts. School -- An education institution consisting of one or more of grades K through 12. School crime -- Any criminal activity that is committed on school property. School year -- The 12-month period of time denoting the beginning and ending dates for school accounting purposes, usually from July 1 through June 30. Stratification -- A survey sampling technique in which the target population is divided into mutually exclusive groups or strata based on some variable or variables (e.g., metropolitan area) and sampling of units occurs separately within each stratum. Unequal probabilities -- A survey sampling technique in which sampled units do not have the same probability of selection into the sample. For example, the investigator may oversample minority students in order to increase the sample sizes of minority students. Minority students would then be more likely than other students to be sampled. Specific Terms -- Used in Various Surveys School-Associated -- Violent Deaths Surveillance Study Homicide -- An act involving a killing of one person by another resulting from interpersonal violence. School-associated violent death -- A homicide or suicide in which the fatal injury occurred on the campus of a functioning elementary or secondary school in the United States, while the victim was on the way to or from regular sessions at such a school, or while the victim was attending or traveling to or from an official school-sponsored event. Victims included nonstudents as well as students and staff members. Suicide -- An act of taking one's own life voluntarily and intentionally. National Crime Victimization Survey Aggravated assault -- Attack or attempted attack with a weapon, regardless of whether or not an injury occurs, and attack without a weapon when serious injury results. At school (students) -- Inside the school building, on school property (school parking area, play area, school bus, etc.), or on the way to or from school. Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) -- Geographic entities defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for use by federal statistical agencies in collecting, tabulating, and publishing federal statistics. Rape -- Forced sexual intercourse including both psychological coercion as well as physical force. Forced sexual intercourse means vaginal, anal, or oral penetration by the offender(s). Includes attempts and verbal threats of rape. This category also includes incidents where the penetration is from a foreign object, such as a bottle. Robbery --Completed or attempted theft, directly from a person, of property or cash by force or threat of force, with or without a weapon, and with or without injury. Rural -- A place not located inside the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). This category includes a variety of localities, ranging from sparsely populated rural areas to cities with populations of less than 50,000. Serious violent crime -- Rape, sexual assault, robbery, or aggravated assault. Sexual assault -- A wide range of victimizations, separate from rape or attempted rape. These crimes include attacks or attempted attacks generally involving unwanted sexual contact between the victim and offender. Sexual assault may or may not involve force and includes such things as grabbing or fondling. Sexual assault also includes verbal threats. Simple assault -- Attack without a weapon resulting either in no injury, minor injury, or an undetermined injury requiring less than 2 days of hospitalization. Also includes attempted assault without a weapon. Suburban -- A county or counties containing a central city, plus any contiguous counties that are linked socially and economically to the central city. On the data tables, suburban areas are categorized as those portions of metropolitan areas situated "outside central cities." Theft -- Completed or attempted theft of property or cash without personal contact. Urban -- The largest city (or grouping of cities) in an MSA. Victimization -- A crime as it affects one individual person or household. For personal crimes, the number of victimizations is equal to the number of victims involved. The number of victimizations may be greater than the number of incidents because more than one person may be victimized during an incident. Victimization rate -- A measure of the occurrence of victimizations among a specific population group. Violent crime -- Rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, or simple assault. School Crime Supplement At school -- In the school building, on school property, on a school bus, or going to or from school. Gang -- Street gangs, fighting gangs, crews, or something else. Gangs may use common names, signs, symbols, or colors. All gangs, whether or not they are involved in violent or illegal activity, are included. Serious violent crime -- Rape, sexual assault, robbery, or aggravated assault. Total victimization -- Combination of violent victimization and theft. If a student reported an incident of either type, he or she is counted as having experienced any victimization. If the student reported having experienced both, he or she is counted once under "total victimization." Violent crime -- Rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, or simple assault. Youth Risk Behavior Survey Illegal drugs -- Examples of illegal drugs were marijuana, cocaine, inhalants, steroids, or prescription drugs without a doctor's permission, heroin, and methamphetamines. On school property -- On school property is included in the question wording, but was not defined for respondents. Rural school -- A school located outside a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Suburban school -- A school located inside an MSA, but outside the "central city." Urban school-- A school located inside an MSA and inside the "central city." Weapon -- Examples of weapons appearing in the questionnaire include guns, knives, and clubs. Schools and Staffing Survey City -- A territory inside an urbanized area (defined as densely settled "cores" with populations of 50,000 or more of Census-defined blocks with adjacent densely settled surrounding areas) and inside a principal city (defined as a city that contains the primary population and economic center of a metropolitan statistical area, which, in turn, is defined as one or more contiguous counties that have a "core" area with a large population nucleus and adjacent communities that are highly integrated economically or socially with the core). Elementary school -- A school in which the lowest grade is less than or equal to grade 6 and the highest grade is less than or equal to grade 8. Elementary school teachers -- An elementary school teacher is one who, when asked for the grades taught, checked: (1) only "ungraded" and was designated as an elementary teacher on the list of teachers provided by the school; (2) 6th grade or lower or "ungraded," and no grade higher than 6th; (3) 6th grade or lower and 7th grade or higher, and reported a primary assignment of prekindergarten, kindergarten, or general elementary; (4) 7th and 8th grades only, and reported a primary assignment of prekindergarten, kindergarten, or general elementary; (5) 6th grade or lower and 7th grade or higher, and reported a primary assignment of special education and was designated as an elementary teacher on the list of teachers provided by the school; or (6) 7th and 8th grades only, and reported a primary assignment of special education and was designated as an elementary teacher on the list of teachers provided by the school. A teacher at a school that has grade 6 or lower or one that is "ungraded" with no grade higher than the 8th. Instructional level -- Instructional levels divide teachers into elementary or secondary based on a combination of the grades taught, main teaching assignment, and the structure of the teacher's class(es). Those with only ungraded classes are categorized as elementary level teachers if their main assignment is early childhood/prekindergarten or elementary, or they teach either special education in a self-contained classroom or an elementary enrichment class. All other teachers with ungraded classes are classified as secondary level. Among teachers with regularly graded classes, in general, elementary level teachers teach any of grades prekindergarten through 5th; report an early childhood/prekindergarten, elementary, self-contained special education, or elementary enrichment main assignment; or are those whose preponderance of grades taught are kindergarten through 6th. In general, secondary-level teachers instruct any of grades 7 through 12 but usually no grade lower than 5th. They also teach more of grades 7 through 12 than lower level grades. Rural -- A territory outside any urbanized area (defined as densely settled "cores" with populations of 50,000 or more of Census-defined blocks with adjacent densely settled surrounding areas) or urban cluster (defined as densely settled "cores" with populations between 25,000 and 50,000 of Census-defined blocks with adjacent densely settled surrounding areas). Secondary school -- A school in which the lowest grade is greater than or equal to grade 7 and the highest grade is less than or equal to grade 12. Secondary school -- teachers A secondary school teacher is one who, when asked for the grades taught, checked: (1) "ungraded" and was designated as a secondary teacher on the list of teachers provided by the school; (2) 6th grade or lower and 7th grade or higher, and reported a primary assignment other than prekindergarten, kindergarten, or general elementary; (3) 9th grade or higher, or 9th grade or higher and "ungraded"; (4) 7th and 8th grades only, and reported a primary assignment other than prekindergarten, kindergarten, general elementary, or special education; (5) 7th and 8th grades only, and reported a primary assignment of special education and was designated as a secondary teacher on the list of teachers provided by the school; or (6) 6th grade or lower and 7th grade or higher, or 7th and 8th grades only, and was not categorized above as either elementary or secondary. Suburban -- A territory outside a principal city (defined as a city that contains the primary population and economic center of a metropolitan statistical area, which, in turn, is defined as one or more contiguous counties that have a "core" area with a large population nucleus and adjacent communities that are highly integrated economically or socially with the core) and inside an urbanized area (defined as densely settled "cores" with populations of 50,000 or more of Census-defined blocks with adjacent densely settled surrounding areas). Town -- A territory inside an urban cluster (defined as densely settled "cores" with populations between 25,000 and 50,000 of Census-defined blocks with adjacent densely settled surrounding areas). School Survey on Crime and Safety At school/at your school -- Includes activities that happened in school buildings, on school grounds, on school buses, and at places that held school-sponsored events or activities. Unless otherwise specified, respondents were instructed to report on activities that occurred during normal school hours or when school activities/events were in session. Combined schools -- Schools that include all combinations of grades, including K 12 schools, other than primary, middle, and high schools (see definitions for these school levels later in this section). Cult or extremist group -- A group that espouses radical beliefs and practices, which may include a religious component, that are widely seen as threatening the basic values and cultural norms of society at large. Firearm/explosive device -- Any weapon that is designed to (or may readily be converted to) expel a projectile by the action of an explosive. This includes guns, bombs, grenades, mines, rockets, missiles, pipe bombs, or similar devices designed to explode and capable of causing bodily harm or property damage. Gang -- An ongoing loosely organized association of three or more persons, whether formal or informal, that has a common name, signs, symbols, or colors, whose members engage, either individually or collectively, in violent or other forms of illegal behavior. High school -- A school in which the lowest grade is not lower than grade 9 and the highest grade is not higher than grade 12. Hate crime -- A criminal offense or threat against a person, property, or society that is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender's bias against a race, color, national origin, ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, or sexual orientation. Insubordination -- A deliberate and inexcusable defiance of or refusal to obey a school rule, authority, or a reasonable order. It includes but is not limited to direct defiance of school authority, failure to attend assigned detention or on-campus supervision, failure to respond to a call slip, and physical or verbal intimidation/abuse. Intimidation -- To frighten, compel, or deter by actual or implied threats. It includes bullying and sexual harassment. (Intimidation was not defined in the front of the questionnaire in 2005 06.) Middle school -- A school in which the lowest grade is not lower than grade 4 and the highest grade is not higher than grade 9. Physical attack or fight -- An actual and intentional touching or striking of another person against his or her will, or the intentional causing of bodily harm to an individual. Primary school -- A school in which the lowest grade is not higher than grade 3 and the highest grade is not higher than grade 8. Rape -- Forced sexual intercourse (vaginal, anal, or oral penetration). Includes penetration from a foreign object. Robbery-- The taking or attempting to take anything of value that is owned by another person or organization, under confrontational circumstances by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear. A key difference between robbery and theft/larceny is that a threat or battery is involved in robbery. Serious violent incidents -- Include rape, sexual battery other than rape, physical attacks or fights with a weapon, threats of physical attack with a weapon, and robbery with or without a weapon. Sexual battery -- An incident that includes threatened rape, fondling, indecent liberties, child molestation, or sodomy. Principals were instructed that classification of these incidents should take into consideration the age and developmentally appropriate behavior of the offenders. Sexual harassment -- Unsolicited, offensive behavior that inappropriately asserts sexuality over another person. The behavior may be verbal or nonverbal. Specialized school -- A school that is specifically for students who were referred for disciplinary reasons. The school may also have students who were referred for other reasons. The school may be at the same location as the respondent's school. Theft/larceny -- Taking things valued at over $10 without personal confrontation. Specifically, the unlawful taking of another person's property without personal confrontation, threat, violence, or bodily harm. Included are pocket picking, stealing purse or backpack (if left unattended or no force was used to take it from owner), theft from a building, theft from a motor vehicle or motor vehicle parts or accessories, theft of bicycles, theft from vending machines, and all other types of thefts. Urbanicity -- As collected by the Common Core of Data and appended to the SSOCS data ?le, city includes large cities and midsize cities, urban fringe includes urban fringe of large and mid-sized cities, town includes large and small towns, and rural includes rural outside an MSA and inside an MSA. Vandalism -- The willful damage or destruction of school property, including bombing, arson, graffiti, and other acts that cause property damage. Includes damage caused by computer hacking. Violent incidents -- Include rape, sexual battery other than rape, physical attacks or fights with or without a weapon, threats of physical attack with or without a weapon, and robbery with or without a weapon. Weapon -- Any instrument or object used with the intent to threaten, injure, or kill. Includes look-alikes if they are used to threaten others. End of File 4/20/09