The Problem of School Disorder

Abstract

The public’s concern with what is widely perceived as burgeoning crime and violence in the nation’s public schools is reflected in and fostered by spectacular media attention to the topic, the results of public opinion surveys, and continuing Congressional hearings. Testimonial accounts of school crime, such as the national magazine reports (e.g., “City Schools in Crisis.” 1977; “High Schools under Fire,” 1977), the Congressional hearings, and a book titled Violence in Schools (McPartland & McDill, 1977) are useful, but they are sensationalized accounts.