Chinese American Educational Research and Development Association
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Educational Research & Development Journal
Vol 17, No 1 (2014)
Student Safety: Parents' and School Principals' Perceptions |
| Michael Ewton |
Abstract |
| Introduction A safe and secure school environment is essential to successful student learning. Students who are stressed or preoccupied with concerns of their physical safety cannot achieve to their fullest academic ability. The definition of school safety and security is open to subjective interpretation. Conditions that are acceptable in one community or on a particular campus may be viewed as unreasonably dangerous in another. Likewise, following high profile acts of violence or natural disasters affecting schools, there may be reactions calling for safety measures that would have been unthinkable prior to the events taking place. In addition to what students may observe or experience at school, their perceptions of their safety on campus may be directly impacted by the perceptions and opinions of their parents, teachers, and school administrators. In the spirit of school improvement, it is important for principals to understand parents' views on student safety and vice versa. The purpose of this research study was to determine what parents and school principals view as being serious threats to school safety, how they believe these threats should be addressed, and whether or not their perceptions vary depending on the level of the school. In particular, answers to the following questions were sought. 1. What do school principals and parents perceive as serious threats to student safety? 2. What do principals and parents perceive as effective strategies to secure student safety? 3. What do principals and parents perceive to be appropriate strategies to secure student safety? 4. Do principals' and parents' perception of student safety threats differ by school level? 5. Do principals' and parent's perceptions of effective and appropriate safety strategies differ by school level? |
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ISSN: 1526-8659