This handbook, structured to facilitate use by policy makers, practitioners, school board members and school staff, contains three parts. Part I presents practical information and an action plan for implementing school improvement and delinquency prevention measures. Chapters 1 and 2 focus on how delinquency affects the U.S. educational system, and on establishing a rationale for school-based delinquency prevention policies and practices. Chapters 3 through 5 present a six-step process to support local boards in selecting non-punitive approaches to discipline and to delinquency prevention, particularly early prevention programs. The process provides for choosing a focus for change, assessing a school's weaknesses and strengths, setting goals and objectives, developing an action plan, implementing chosen strategies, and gauging progress toward improvement. Part II is a compendium of more than 45 in-school improvement and delinquency prevention program models that are currently being implemented in public schools throughout the U.S. This part functions partly as a how-to manual for practitioners, and partly as a resource guide to a network of innovators and experts. Part III, a more extensive resource and reference guide, may be used to assist in planning and evaluating delinquency prevention programs; it includes and annotated list of recommended books, articles, readings, theme-related periodicals and congressional hearings, selected media aids, technical assistance sources, databases and clearinghouses, and development resources. An appendix contains examples of behavioral contracts between students, parents, and schools. (Author/KH)

The report categorizes school safety technologies, summarizes research on school violence, presents six case studies of innovative technologies, and summarizes experts' views of technologies and safety problems and their rankings of technology needs.

Counsels parents and educators on how to best safeguard the interests of children with behavioral, emotional, and social challenges, in a guide that identifies the misunderstandings and practices that are contributing to a growing number of student failures.

"This toolkit is an easy-to-use guide that will assist parents and administrators in implementing the Be Safe and Sound model in their schools. It includes a step-by-step procedure for assessing school safety and security, forming an action team, identifying the problems, holding a forum with stakeholders to brainstorm solutions, developing an action plan and building support for it, and evaluating the results."--Welcome letter.