Collecting and using incident data are essential steps for creating safe schools. ("Incidents" are anything from criminal acts to minor problem behaviors that disrupt the orderly functioning of schools and classrooms.) With good data, it is possible to develop effective prevention and intervention plans. This handbook presents the recommendations of the Crime, Violence, and Discipline Task Force--part of the National Center for Education Statistics and the National Forum on Education Statistics--on what types of information to collect, why it is important to collect such information, and how it can be used to improve school safety. It is designed to help school, district, and state staff improve their effectiveness in collecting and using disciplinary incident data. Chapter 1 presents the rationale for how collecting and using incident data can help schools achieve their mission. Chapter 2 discusses ensuring the accuracy of data, and ways of enlisting public support and financing data collection. Chapter 3 describes approaches for presenting information to the public on what has been collected. Chapter 4 presents the elements of the incident database. Appended are the current federal reporting requirements. (Contains 7 figures, including 5 sample graphs, and 46 references.) (WFA)