The most recent acts of violence by children have pushed us as a nation to examine the causes and possible solutions to this crisis in our schools. In fact, according to Public Agenda, a national organization that conducts public opinion research on education issues, school safety was identified as the most important issue affecting schools by respondents (Johnson & Immerwahr, 1994/1995). Yet school violence does not exist. in the void. It is directly related to violence in our society. And for many children, particularly those who experience family violence early in their lives, school can often be their only safe haven. In 1992, over three million youth were reported to child protection advocates as possible victims of abuse (U.S. Department of Justice, 1992). Therefore, for many children in our society, schools are often safer than the environment in which they live. Aggression and violence are the direct result of learned behavior. Our society is full of examples of violence and aggression that have unfortunately become part of our daily lives, regardless of where we live, work or play. Our children are both the victims and, as seen in last year's headlines, the perpetrators of violent acts. crimes. Despite a sharp increase in violence among girls and women, in our society women continue to be victims more often than perpetrators. In a presentation for a course on violence against women at Harvard University, Nancy Issac and Deborah Prothrow-Stith reported that four million women in the United States are severely abused each year by their spouse or partner. And 26% of all female homicide victims were killed by their husbands or boyfriends, while 3% of male victims were killed… center of paper… in reference to aggression against children in general, and girls specifically in our society. Works Cited and Consulted Bachman, R. (1994, January). Violence against women: A national crime victimization report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Giroux, H. (1992). Border crossings. New York: Routledge.Isaac, N. and Prothrow-Stith, D. Violence Against Women Course Presentation. Harvard University: Harvard School of Public Health. Johnson, J., & Immerwahr, J. (1994/1995, Winter). What Americans expect from public schools. American Educator, 4-13.Noguera, Pennsylvania (1995, Summer). Preventing and producing violence: a critical analysis of responses to school violence. Harvard Educational Review. 65(2), United States Department of Justice. (1992, October). The cycles of violence. Washington, DC: Author.