Crime and Safety Surveys: School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS)

2. USES OF DATA

Student victimization in schools is a major concern of educators, policymakers, administrators, parents, and students. Understanding the scope of the criminal victimization of students, as well as factors associated with it, is an essential step in developing solutions to address the issues concerning school crime and violence.

The NCVS is the nation's primary source of information on crime victimization and the victims of crime in the United States. The SCS is a supplement to the NCVS that was created to collect information about student and school characteristics on a national level. The survey is designed to assist policymakers, as well as researchers and practitioners at the federal, state, and local levels, in making informed decisions concerning crime in schools. Some of the topics that are examined include the following:

• Prevalence and type of student victimization at school and selected characteristics of victims, including their demographic characteristics and school type;
• Victim and nonvictim reports of conditions of an unfavorable school climate, such as the presence of gangs and weapons and the availability of drugs and alcohol;
• Victimization and student reports of security measures taken at school to secure school buildings and the use of personnel and enforcement of administrative procedures at school to ensure student safety; and
• Fear and avoidance behaviors of victims and nonvictims, such as skipping class or avoiding specific places at school; and
• The relationship between bullying and cyber-bullying victimization.

 

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