Multiple sources suggest that action should be taken in schools, the community and the mass media to counteract the effects of violence in our society.  It is the small, everyday actions, woven together in a tapestry, that makes substantial differences in the development of public health outcomes.

 

Adewale Troutman, MD, MPH, CPH

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Collaboration is necessary because............

 

• School reform - simply improving the way teachers teach and the ways schools are structured - is not enough.  Teachers must now find ways to cope with children who live in dysfunctional families, who are victims of violence, who use drugs, who do not speak English, who are pregnant, who are homeless.  Teachers, even the best ones cannot help these children by themselves.

 

• Granting that poverty and other social ills cannot be cured or fully compensated for by the schools......... what about those health and social service providers that exist specifically to deal with problems?  Why aren't they and the schools working together successfully to meet the needs of disadvantaged students and their families.

 

• Probably the single most significant factor, motivating school and community groups (social service agencies, businesses, neighborhood associations) to collaborate on behalf of children and families in need is the recognition that resources are scarce and unlikely to become more plentiful in the near future.