School Safety in the United States: A Reasoned Look at the Rhetoric

In School Safety in the United States, Dr. David May draws on two decades of his own research to provide a data-driven discussion regarding the relative threat of school violence in the United States. May analyzes data about topics such as school homicides, fear of crime in school, and the effectiveness of school resource officers and bullying prevention programs to dispel anecdotal and media-based evidence that promotes myths about school safety and school violence. He closes with recommendations to enhance school safety by focusing on school climate, culture, and relationships rather than metal detectors, security cameras, and profiling of school shooters.