In the book, Leadership, Violence and School Climate: Case Studies in Creating Non-Violent Schools, three important themes are emphasized namely, democratic leadership, violence and school climate. The book recognizes that safety should be the first issue of concern when addressing school violence. However, violence in schools should not be the sole concern of outside experts who advocate for lock downs, metal detectors and bullet proof glass. Through democratic school leadership violence can be reduced by those professionals actually working in schools. The book emphasizes that reduction in school violence originates from school leaders having a comprehensive understanding of the climate found in schools. Leadership, violence and school climate are connected through the use of democratic principles that address; crisis, trauma, empowerment, common ground, critical thinking, assertiveness and others. The book points out how schools can reverse their reactionary stance to violence, and become pro-active through the practice of democratic principles.

Though decades ago school shootings were rare events, today they are becoming normalized. Active shooter drills have become more commonplace as pressure is placed on schools and law enforcement to prevent the next attack. Yet others argue the traumatizing effects of such exercises on the students. Additionally, violence between students continues to remain problematic as bullying pervades children’s lives both at school and at home, leading to negative mental health impacts and, in extreme cases, suicide. Establishing safer school policies, promoting violence prevention programs, building healthier classroom environments, and providing better staff training are all vital for protecting students physically and mentally. The Research Anthology on School Shootings, Peer Victimization, and Solutions for Building Safer Educational Institutions examines the current sources of violence within educational systems, and it offers solutions on how to provide a safer space for both students and educators alike. Broken into four sections, the book examines the causes and impacts that peer victimization has on students and how this can lead to further violence and investigates strategies for detecting the warning signs. The book provides solutions that range from policies and programs that can be established to strategies for teaching nonviolence and promoting coexistence in the classroom. Highlighting a range of topics such as violence prevention, school climate, and bullying, this publication is an ideal reference source for school administrators, law enforcement, teachers, government and state officials, school boards, academicians, researchers, and upper-level students who are intent on stopping the persisting and unfortunate problem that is school violence.

To meet the various needs of students, administrative policies and instructional techniques must consistently be improved upon. This allows schools to deliver a higher quality of education to students. Assessing the Current State of Education in the Caribbean is a pivotal reference source for the latest research on recent developments and innovations for schools in the Caribbean region. Focusing on teacher leadership, learning assessment techniques, and technology uses, this book is ideally designed for educators, school administrators, professionals, and researchers interested in recent developments within the education sector.

Nonviolent environments are desirable in many areas of life, yet none are as essential as within our educational institutions. Providing a safe space for students has become a critical concern in modern society. Violence Prevention and Safety Promotion in Higher Education Settings is a vital resource that examines the current sources of violence within educational systems, and it offers solutions on how to provide a safer space for both students and educators alike. Highlighting pertinent areas of interest including technological violence, academic regulations, nonviolent communication, and gender discrimination, this reference publication is ideal for academicians, future educators, students, and researchers interested in recent advancements that aid in providing secure, safe educational environments for everyone.

The argumentative point of departure of this scholarly book is the common conviction of specialists in the field of education in South Africa that the national education system is not at a satisfactory level – in both the academic and the public discourse. Such allegations are made and, frequently, stronger adjectives than ‘non-satisfactory’ are used. Results of international test series in which South Africa has participated, such as the 2015 TIMSS tests, confirm the negative verdicts found in the (public and scholarly) discourse. This book aims to argue that although the lack of performance could be attributed to a multiplicity of factors, one factor that can make a difference in the achievement levels obtained by learners in schools is leadership. The book demonstrates that a particular problem of both the scholarly and the public discourse on education in South Africa is an overtone of defeatism or resignation, blaming all ills in the education system and educational institutions on historical legacies and/or contextual factors (such as socio-economic deprivation in the catchment areas of schools) or poor resources and infrastructure. This collected work was inspired by a recently published spate of articles on top-performing schools (including top-performing schools in rural communities), in which it was demonstrated that good leadership can overcome such contextual and other challenges. The book unpacks the issue of leadership in South African schools from a variety of perspectives, thus contributing to the development of the scholarly discourse on Educational Leadership in South Africa. The target audience of the book is scholars of Educational Leadership. The research reported in the chapters draw on a wide range of methodologies, including empirical (survey) research (questionnaires and interviews), critical literature surveys, and the comparative method.

Many people have become impatient with school reform and school improvement efforts that fail to include school climate. The importance of a positive school climate is emerging in current research, not only as an essential component of school reform and school improvement, but also as a necessary framework for maintaining excellent schools and providing healthy and safe schools for all students. Research strongly suggests that educators and policy makers have a lot to learn about the importance of school climate for school safety and academic success. With the growing body of research regarding school climate, it is important to study the research and understand how the psychology of school climate and how the elements of school climate can be viewed from a population-based perspective, as well as understanding the impact of school climate on individual students. This review of school climate research includes hundreds of articles and research papers of different perspectives from around the world in numerous cultures. School climate is becoming a science of education and psychology that must be studied further in order to understand the dynamic nature of learning environments, to identify elements that support or threaten the learning environment, and to learn how to improve the conditions for learning in all schools.

In recent years, the United States has seen a vast increase in bloodshed stemming from violence within the education system. Understanding the underlying factors behind these atrocities may be the first step in preventing more brutality in the future. The Handbook of Research on School Violence in American K-12 Education provides emerging research exploring the theoretical and practical aspects of the phenomena of school violence through the lens of social science and humanities perspectives. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as preventative measures, cyberbullying, minority issues, risk factors, and dealing with the traumatic aftermath of such events, this book is ideally designed for researchers, students, psychologists, sociologists, teachers, law enforcement, school counselors, policymakers, and administrators seeking current research on the interconnectedness between families, schools, bullying, and subsequent violence.

Restorative practices in schools emphasize a focus on non-punitive strategies to handle student disciplinary issues within schools and can include practices such as peer mediation, conflict resolution, restorative circles enabling a respectful dialogue, reparation of harmful and/or wrongful actions, and a primary emphasis on building relationships between all members of a school community. With a movement away from harsh disciplinary policies including suspensions, expulsions, and zero tolerance policies, restorative practices encourage school community members to work together in a productive and meaningful way without the use of exclusionary discipline practices, which often result in the removal of a student from a school community. Restorative practices emphasize inclusive strategies that aim to restore a school community and provide schools with strategies to improve their school climate overall. Transforming a School Community Through Restorative Practices: Emerging Research and Opportunities is a critical scholarly resource that can provide schools with the tools needed to successfully implement a restorative approach to effect change within a school. Featuring a wide range of topics such as conflict resolution, school safety, and school community, this book is ideal for teachers, counselors, school administrators, principals, academicians, education professionals, researchers, policymakers, and students.

Educational Leadership: Perspectives on Preparation and Practice identifies core knowledge and skills that educational leaders should be exposed to during pre-service preparation and throughout in-service professional development. The contributors discuss established pedagogical and experiential learning models as well as provocative new paradigms of their own to help prepare leaders and reinforce leadership effectiveness. Implicit throughout the book are five key leadership themes: sensitivity to student development and learning; continual professional development; responsiveness to developmental, socio-cultural, and learning contexts; accepting accountability; and advancing the field. The contributors draw upon many collective years of experience as educators and supervisors of educational leaders to offer perspectives on the application and integration of core leadership principles in leadership preparation and practice.

Today’s educators stand at the crossroads of globalization and technology. The world is rapidly shrinking. The workplace is being transformed before our very eyes. Technology is forever changing the way we perceive reality and the way we do business. Educators are required to equip students for a workplace that has yet to emerge. The skill sets of today’s job market are often obsolete before students can enter the workplace. Now is the time for educators to rise to the challenges of our modern world. By embracing the vision of yesterday’s practitioners and joining hands with tomorrow’s practitioners, educators can transform our world and equip their students for the upward mobility and career flexibility required in tomorrow’s workplace.