GANGS ARE BECOMING increasingly prevalent on all school campuses, urban, suburban, and rural. Many law enforcement officials, educators, parents, and students are concerned about the growth of gang activity in schools. Yet the exact link between gangs and school violence remains unclear. Some people believe that gangs in schools cause increased violence, but a lack of accurate data prevents researchers from fully understanding the relationship between the two.

The violent activities of gangs, however, are well known, and many researchers and educators claim that it is common for gangs to continue these activities on school grounds. In fact, most street gangs value violence as a central part of their subculture. At school, gangs have been known to perform violent initiation rites, fight rivals, commit drive-by shootings, deal drugs, and carry weapons. Furthermore, gangs often have easy access to guns and other weapons...