| Although crime rates have continued to drop since the mid-1990s, fear of crime remains problematic nationwide. Public schools, particularly in urban areas, have clearly been affected by fear and crime resulting in a trend towards heightened security measures and zero-tolerance policies. Yet, the initiatives introduced to remedy crime and fear have not shown resolution, notwithstanding the high fiscal costs associated with the plans.; Learning in urban schools includes an ability to handle everyday threats of crime and disorder. Students who adjust to these circumstances could be called resilient. Two main aspects of resilience are adaptive coping and protective factors. This study draws on the resilience model hypothesizing that students with chronic or complex medical conditions experience less fear at school due to different coping styles and more protective factors.; A sample of 120 students was surveyed on fear of crime at school, coping strategies and protective factors. Results fail to support the original hypotheses, yet alternate analysis generated important findings. Fear of crime was found to be more problematic than anticipated. Over 50% of students reported fear in at least one school situation. Yet, students with more protective factors indicated significantly less fear at school, and protective factors were correlated to more frequent coping strategies overall. Results suggest that resilient students are less fearful, and efforts made to increase resilience at school could provide less-costly and more effective solutions for safety in urban schools. |
