Short Definition: % of students who have been in a physical fight at school in the past year (SurveyWorks: Elementary, Middle, High)

Long Definition:

The percent of students within a given school who reported that they had been in a physical fight at school in the past year.

This question was answered as part of the SurveyWorks questionnaire and was included in the surveys for Elementary, Middle and High school students. SurveyWorks is the Rhode Island Department of Education's new opinions-and-perceptions survey and is administered annually to all students in grades 4-12. SurveyWorks is age appropriate for each level — elementary, middle and high school — but it covers roughly the same areas of questioning for all three levels.

Agency Source: RIDE

Time Period(s):

School Year

2009-10,  2010-11,  2011-12,  2012-13,  2013-14

Geographies: School

Data Type: Numeric

Purpose:

This indicator is a marker for other problem behaviors and is associated with serious injury-related health outcomes. It allows for comparison of safety and learning environment between schools, as well as for comparison with other education indicators.

Limitations:

Versions of this question vary slightly by grade level. The High school and Middle school version reads "During the past 12 months, have you been in a physical fight on school property?" while the Elementary School version reads "Have you been in a fight at school this year in which you and the other person hit/touched one another?" which may limit the ability to compare the responses directly. This information is self-reported.

Universe: All students enrolled in grades 4-12 in a RI public school who participated in the SurveyWorks survey

Tags: Violence, School Climate, School Safety, SurveyWorks!

Related Reports:

• High School Student Perceptions of School Violence
• Middle School Student Perceptions of School Violence

Related Datastories: No related datastories.