This monograph examines the issue of school violence and the ways to eliminate it. The goal is to return schools to their status as safe havens for children to learn, achieve, and acquire the skills they need to become successful and productive adults. Section I defines school violence and reviews data on its prevalence. Section II discusses various risk factors for violent behavior among youth. An understanding of risk, particularly within a developmental framework, is essential to forming and implementing effective school-based prevention and intervention programs. The next section examines children's reactions to violence, including the mental health consequences of exposure and victimization, and considers the impact of victimization from a developmental perspective and the special case of bullying at school. Section IV discusses the school itself as a setting that can promote violent and aggressive behavior. This includes a discussion of student diversity, issues of safety and security, and the presence of gangs at school. Section V examines the role of education in understanding what works in violence prevention, and Section VI presents examples of several different types of school-based interventions designed to address youth aggressive and violent behavior. Programs at the elementary, middle, and high school levels are reviewed. The final chapter focuses on what is known about youth violence and the implications of this knowledge for school-based violence prevention and social policy. (Contains 4 tables, 1 figure, and 189 references.) (Author/SLD)