School violence and teachers' perception of the zero tolerance policy

by Konter, Dana R.

_______________Konter_______________Dana_________________R.______ (Writer) (Last Name) (First) (Initial) School Violence and Teachers’ Perception of the Zero Tolerance Policy_ (Title) School Psychology____Denise Maricle May, 2002________45____ (Graduate Major) (Research Advisor) (Month/Year)(No. of Pages) Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fourth Edition (Name of Style Manual Used in this Study) This study examined teachers’ perception of the zero tolerance policy. The goal was to identify the benefits, drawbacks, and perceived effectiveness of the zero tolerance policy as a preventative tool against school violence. The research hypothesis for the study was that the majority of public school teachers believe the zero tolerance policy is ineffective, has a negative impact on students, and does not prevent school violence; that is, it does not fulfill its intended purpose. Teachers from two schools, one in Minnesota and one in Wisconsin, were surveyed. The results of the data analysis suggest that zero tolerance policies are perceived to be an effective means of ii discipline and are viewed as effective in fulfilling each schools’ goals related to violence reduction. In both schools, the zero tolerance policy was seen as being beneficial. Additionally, both schools perceived a minimal likelihood for violent acts to occur in their school. iii