Violent and aggressive students in Newfoundland and Labrador

Abstract

Youth violence is a very real problem in North American schools. Understanding youth violence and aggression is key to developing effective school programs to reduce the number of violent acts in schools. This was a descriptive study that Reused on the small population of students who are considered to be highly aggressive to the point where they can no longer be managed in the schools. Representatives from 8 of the 10 school boards in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador were questioned to learn more about the background characteristics of this population of students, to find out what programs were currently in place to deal with violent and aggressive behaviour, and to determine what programs should be implemented to reduce the number of students considered unmanageable due to violent behaviour. The major findings were the majority of severely aggressive students were males, who had low levels of reading and required the assistance of a special education teacher, and had displayed acts of aggression for more than two years. School boards offered a range of programs for students with violent and aggressive behaviours, however, these programs were not consistent across school boards and programs were not equally accessible to rural and urban schools. Participants agreed that more programs were needed, and offered suggestions of what they would like to see in place, especially alternative schools. The findings are discussed with a focus on the need for additional research that could guide policy and development and school-based services for violent students.