Youth Violence, Schools, and the Management Question: A Discussion of Zero Tolerance and Equity in Public Schooling

Abstract

Youth disengagement from school, hostility between social groupings, and violence in schools are issues of national proportions made visible through their detrimental affects on schools and the overall health of communities.  A 1993 Environics poll revealed that Canadians believe school-based youth violence is the single most important issue facing public education (cited in Saskatchewan Schools Trustees Association, 1994).  In a 1995 report to the Solicitor General Canada investigating youth violence and school behaviour management practices, Gabor found that 80% of survey respondents felt that violence was more prevalent in schools than it was ten years ago.  Current figures from the Solicitor General Canada (2000) indicate that the present level of public concern for youth violence has not declined in the years since GaborÌs 1995 report.  Teachers themselves have reported dramatic increases in the type, frequency, and severity of anti-social, aggressive, and violent behaviour in classrooms (Carney, 1999; Solicitor General Canada, 1994; Saskatchewan Schools Trustees Association, 1994).