Violence in Schools

Violence in schools is a pervasive, highly emotive and, above all, global problem. Bullying and its negative social consequences are of perennial concern, while the media regularly highlights incidences of violent assault - and even murder - occurring within schools. This unique and fascinating text offers a comprehensive overview and analysis of how European nations are tackling this serious issue. Violence in Schools: The Response in Europe, brings together contributions from all EU member states and two associated states. Each chapter begins by clearly outlining the nature of the school violence situation in that country. It then goes on to describe those social policy initiatives and methods of intervention being used to address violence in schools and evaluates the effectiveness of these different strategies. Commentaries from Australia, Israel and the USA and an overview of the book's main themes by eminent psychologist Peter K. Smith complete a truly international and authoritative look at this important - and frequently controversial - subject. This book constitutes an invaluable resource for educational administrators, policymakers and researchers concerned with investigating, and ultimately addressing, the social and psychological causes, manifestations and effects of school violence.

Peter K. Smith is Professor and Head of the Unit for School and Family Studies at Goldsmiths College, University of London.

Chapter 1 Violence in schools, K. Smith Peter; Part I Central Europe; Chapter 2 Tackling violence in schools, Eric Debarbieux, Catherine Blaya, Daniel Vidal; Chapter 3 Tackling violence in schools, Inge Huybregts, Nicole Vettenburg, Monique D'Aes; Chapter 4 Luxembourg, Georges Steffgen, Claire Russon; Chapter 5 From combating bullying and violence to fostering prosocial behaviour, Carolien Bongers, Frits Prior, Guido Walraven; Chapter 6 The Austrian situation, Moira Atria, Christiane Spiel; Chapter 7 Germany, Mechthild Schäfer, Stefan Korn; Part II Mediterranean countries; Chapter 8 Portugal, Jo ão Sebasti ão, Joana Campos, Ana Tomás de Almeida; Chapter 9 Working together to prevent school violence, Ortega Rosario, Del Rey Rosario, Fernández Isabel; Chapter 10 A multifaceted reality, Ersilia Menesini, Rossella Modiano; Chapter 11 Tackling violence in schools, Anastasia Houndoumadi, Lena Pateraki, Maria Doanidou; Part III Scandinavia; Chapter 12 Tackling violence in schools, Björkqvist Kaj, Jansson Viktoria; Chapter 13 'Taking back adult control', Roland Erling, Bjørnsen Gaute, Mandt Gunnar; Chapter 14 Tackling violence in schools, Svensson Robert; Denmark, Ebbe Ebbesen, Niels-Jørgen Jensen; Tackling violence in schools, Ragnar F. Ólafsson, Sólveig Norðfjörð; Part IV United Kingdom and Ireland; Chapter 17 School violence in the United Kingdom, Helen Cowie, Dawn Jennifer, Sonia Sharp; Chapter 18 Tackling violence in schools, Mona O'Moore, Stephen Minton; Part V Commentaries; Chapter 19 Violence in schools, Phillip T. Slee; Chapter 20 Violence in schools, Rami Benbenishty, Ron Avi Astor; Chapter 21 The complexity of school violence, John Devine, Hal A. Lawson;