Making Schools Safe for Students

Public attention surrounding high-profile school shootings leads many to believe that schools are increasingly unsafe. Nevertheless, data show that school crime and victimization are both declining.

This article, which is part of a special issue of the NIJ Journal commemorating the Institute's 50th anniversary, takes a look at NIJ's history of school safety research.

Beginning with NIJ studies related to the behavioral and technological aspects of school safety, the article also discusses the recent Comprehensive School Safety Initiative, through which NIJ funded the implementation and evaluation of 96 school safety projects.

The forthcoming results of these projects promise significant advances in knowledge about school safety.