School violence assessment: A conceptual framework, instruments, and methods

This article outlines a philosophical and theoretical framework for conducting school violence assessments at the local level. The authors advocate that assessments employ a strong conceptual foundation based on social work values. These values include the active measurement of ecological factors inside and outside the school that reflect the circumstances of each community, empower school constituents, and provide formal mechanisms for school and community participation in the assessment and intervention process. On the basis of these concepts, specific internal and external areas of assessment of school safety are reviewed. Methodological and technical issues are examined, such as the selection of appropriate data sources, the design of instruments, and ensuring the quality of self-report data.