Unowned places and times: Maps and interviews about violence in high schools

Students and teachers in five high schools were given maps of their schools and asked to identify the locations and times of the most violent events a nd most dangerous areas in and around the school. Participants were also as ked to identify the ages and genders of the perpetrators/victims of the vio lent events. Participants were then interviewed about why they believed vio lence occurred in the locations and times which were indicated on the maps. Results suggested that violent events occurred primarily in spaces such as hallways, dining areas and parking lots at times when adults were not typi cally present. interviews with children and school staff suggest that these territories within schools tend to be "unowned" by school personnel and st udents. The study participants suggested ways to address violence in these contexts and increase ownership of these spaces. Teachers,'students, ' and administrators' views on variables such as teacher/child relationships, gen der, race, and the organizational response to school violence are contraste d. In addition, their thoughts about existing interventions such as securit y guards, suspension, and video/electronic monitoring are presented. Eased on the findings of this inquiry, the authors recommend that interventions b e designed to increase the role of students, teachers, and other school com munity members in reclaiming unowned school territories.