| Abstract: | Student violence has started to appear in schools in extreme forms. Various causes have been suggested, including TV violence, dysfunctional families, grinding poverty, child abuse, domestic violence, poor emotional and cognitive development, drugs, gangs, inequitable educational opportunity, and latchkey homes. A number of programs have been initiated to deal with this problem which focus on limiting the entry of weapons into the schools and managing aggressiveness. Unfortunately many of these programs fail to address the more fundamental causes of violence and aggression. A more effective means of prevention involves helping children become more responsible members of families, schools, and neighborhoods. School counselors and school psychologists have an important leadership role in helping reduce violence by promoting the moral dimensions of education, including the development of effective learning communities and encouraging school experiences which help children become more resilient in meeting the challenges they face each day without resorting to violence. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |
