The Chicago Public School District has our attention. On a national level we are witness to Chicago’s tragic high level of youth violence. The youth violence in Chicago is being referred to as school violence, but is that an accurate portrayal of what is occurring? Does it matter that the violence is called school violence? I would argue yes it matters, because school violence has implications of a breakdown within the school system concomitant schools being ultimately responsible to stop school violence. School violence does happen, but it usually floods into schools from the outside community. The recent murders and beatings of youth in Chicago are occurring in the community when students walk to and from school.
The term school violence shifts the focus to schools and away from other social and economic systems, and that matters. Clearly, youth violence is a complicated topic; however, a reservoir of research exits on the problem - and how much do we really need to study the topic to understand how to address the problem? That is, countless research projects have indicated that the dominating and underlying factor of youth violence is poverty.
Research has shown that poverty and violence have a positive correlation; 84.3% of school children in Chicago are low income and 30% live in abject poverty. Minority status and poverty are linked: of the 407,955 students in the Chicago School District, 46.2% are Black, 41.2% are Hispanic, 8.9% are White and 3.7% are other minority populations. In the presence of poverty a host of factors predict youth violence and include but are not limited to: family stress and family violence, dropping out of school (twice as likely as non poverty students), low academic achievement through familial, parental and generational factors, and a diminished belief of youth that personal and financial success is achievable through their own honest and hardworking endeavors.
In the early 1990’s Dr. Prothrow-Stith wrote a compelling book, Deadly Consequences that spoke to the escalating youth violence occurring in Boston. Dr. Prothrow-Stith led a task force that designed a plan of community action aimed at stopping youth violence. After two years of community action youth violence in Boston was greatly minimized. Boston schools were one part of the larger community action that also included: hospitals and medical staff, government agencies, private non-profits, businesses, political entities, law enforcement - the entire community stepped up and accepted responsibility to end youth violence.
CR Analysis conducted a recent study in Palm Beach County, Florida on youth violence. Among the findings were that students, living in neighborhoods with high poverty and community violence, viewed their schools as their sanctuary. Students described being fearful of living in their neighborhoods, where gang members threatened them, guns were commonplace, and drug deals openly went down on the streets where they lived. Many students stated that at the end of the school day they went home and didn’t go back outside again until the next school day. School was the one place where they felt safe. In fact, the over-riding fear of students was that violent people could get into their school. The study found that even in the face of failing in school and/or having low academic achievement students still came to school, or there was a high level of attendance. It is theorized that students view school as safe and as more than a place to learn. Caring adults are present at school and it is a social place. Not surprisingly, the average attendance in the Chicago School District is 93.3% even though only 55% of students graduate from high school.
Calling youth violence and community violence school violence has deadly consequences because it shifts the focus from the root cause of youth violence. Communities and neighborhoods where violence reign, drugs are openly used and sold, and where grinding generational poverty trumps hope - is the breeding ground of youth violence. Calling youth violence school violence is inaccurate and limits the conversation. Youth violence is rooted in our communities. The breakdown of our economic and social systems drive youth violence - and with the help of educators and schools the economic and social systems will need to take the lead to end youth violence.
Return to the November Newsletter