Violence in New York City Public Schools

N.Charles

I.S. 62

Introduction:

Have you ever felt unsafe at school? If not, have you heard any news stories about students who have been the victim of violence in their school? What do you think about this situation and how can you and your group members find a solution to help improve safety in schools?

Task:

Your job is to write a letter to the NYC school Chancellor recommending a policy for improving school safety for middle school students, grade levels 6-8. You will work in groups of three and each person is responsible for each part of the task. Your letter must include three parts:

1) Evidence that there is a public concern about school safety in NYC schools

2) Your recommendations/policy ideas for improving that situation.

3) The personal impact these changes would have on your everyday life at school.

Process:

Use the PPA model for gathering, analyzing and reporting this information.

Click the link PPA Steps for more detailed information on each step.

Step #1: What’s The Problem?

v Provide a definition or example of school violence

Step #2: Gather the Evidence

v Use the links below in the Resources section to identify examples of violence in NYC Public Schools

v Collect any factual; accounts of violence that has occurred in your very own Ditmas middle school community.

Step#3: Identify the Causes

v Identify what your group believes to be the top five causes for violent behavior in NYC public schools

Step #4: Evaluate a Policy

v At this point of the group work, you will have to decide on what would be a good policy for public schools as it relates to violent behavior. NYC Department of Education already has a policy about violent behavior, (Click link) How would you enhance that policy, what would you add?

Step #5: Develop Solutions

v What are some solutions to the school violence situation? State 3 clearly on the worksheet at the bottom of the link.

Step #6: Develop Solutions

v Finally, what is the best solution? (effective and feasible)?

Resources:

http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/schoolviolence_factsheet-a.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/stats_at-a_glance/ny.html

http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=49

http://www.courtinnovation.org/sites/default/files/documents/School%20Safety%20Policy%20Brief.pdf

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/22/us/two-killed-in-shooting-at-a-nevada-middle-school.html

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/19/us/u-s-school-violence-fast-facts/

http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/pdf/us_violenceschool_trend_yrbs.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/pdf/us_violenceschool_trend_yrbs.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/schoolviolence/savd.html

Slide Show Sandy Hook Middle School Shooting: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/12/17/nyregion/20121217_SHOOTING_GOBIG.html?_r=0#1

http://schools.nyc.gov/RulesPolicies/default.htm

Evaluation:

Your final letter will be based on the following rubric.

Task Description: Use this rubric for completing your task of writing your letter to the NYC School Chancellor.
Criteria	weight	4 – Exemplary	3 – Accomplished	2 – Developing	1 – Beginning
Organization	25%	¨ Accurately uses correct business letter format (heading, greeting, introduction, body, closure, signature, enclosure, and copy)	¨ Mostly uses correct business letter format (heading, greeting, introduction, body, closure, signature, enclosure, and copy)	¨ Some noticeable errors in use of correct business letter format (heading, greeting, introduction, body, closure, signature, enclosure, and copy)	¨Several noticeable errors in use of correct business letter format (heading, greeting, introduction, body, closure, signature, enclosure, and copy)
Content	25%	¨ Letter clearly states the purpose ¨ Appropriate explanations or facts used to support the main idea ¨ Easy to follow ¨ Tone is appropriate for intended audience	¨ Letter clearly states the purpose ¨ Some explanations or facts used to support the main idea ¨ Somewhat hard to follow ¨ Tone is generally appropriate for intended audience	¨ Purpose of letter is unclear ¨ More explanations or facts need to be used to support the main idea ¨ Hard to follow ¨ Tone is too formal or too informal for intended audience	¨Purpose of letter is unclear ¨Main idea is not supported by explanations or facts ¨Letter rambles; hard to follow or understand ¨Tone is inappropriate for intended audience
Appearance	25%	¨ Typed, using correct spacing, font, and format	¨ Letter typed with few problems in spacing, font, or format	¨ Letter typed with frequent problems in spacing, font, or format	¨Letter not typed; wrong format used and hard to read
Language Usage	25%	¨ Accurate use of punctuation and grammar ¨ No spelling errors	¨ One or two mistakes with punctuation or grammar ¨ One or two spelling errors	¨ More than two mistakes in punctuation or grammar ¨ More than two spelling errors	¨Incorrect use throughout the letter of punctuation or grammar ¨Frequent spelling errors distract from letter

Conclusion:

After locating the address of your NYC Department of Education school chancellor, you will write a letter which completes all three parts outlined in the Task section.