Introduction to the Data

This report is the third in a series of three E.D. TABS presenting results from three surveys on safe, disciplined, and drug-free schools. The statistics represent public school district superintendents" perspectives on issues related to safety, discipline, and drug use prevention in public elementary and secondary schools. A national sample of 790 public school district superintendents was selected; 739 of these superintendents responded to questions concerning the extent of discipline problems within schools, the nature and effectiveness drug education programs, and disciplinary actions.

To the extent that student alcohol and drug use, violence, and disruptive behavior are problems facing schools, they are impediments to learning. To address such problems, the nation"s Governors and the President endorsed a set of National Education Goals to be reached by the year 2000. National Education Goal Six calls for all schools in America to be free of drugs and violence and to offer a safe, disciplined environment conducive to learning. To achieve the goal, policymakers, educators, and the public need information about the current status of the nation"s schools and the extent to which the goal's various objectives are being met.

The tabular summaries in this report are based on data collected from the District Survey on Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The survey was conducted by Westat, Inc., a research firm in Rockville, Maryland, through the Fast Response Survey System (FRSS). FRSS was designed to provide data on policy-related issues regarding emerging educational developments. The tables present data for all public school districts and for districts by type of school location (urban, suburban, rural), enrollment size (less than 2,500, 2,500 to 9,999, 10,000 or more), region (Northeast, Central, Southeast, and West), and percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunches (10 percent or less, 11 to 40 percent, 41 percent or more). Statistics in all tables are based on national estimates (see Table A).

The statistics from the two related surveys have been published: an E.D. TABS report on the Teacher Survey on Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools (NCES 91-091) and an E.D. TABS report on the Principal Survey on Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools (NCES 92- 007). Reports integrating all three surveys will be developed during 1992.

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