school violence

This episode features Dr. Thomas Ralston, Assistant Professor in the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh and Director of the Forum for Western Pennsylvania School Superintendents. 

Dr. Ralston brings 32 years of experience as a public educator to our conversation about the challenges facing school superintendents as they move beyond the COVID pandemic and look toward the future. As a former classroom teacher, building principal, and superintendent, Dr. Ralston is able to look at these challenges from multiple perspectives. His contributions to the improvement of education have earned him the 2010 Administrator of the Year award from the Pennsylvania Association of Middle Level Education, the 2017 Distinguished Education award from the University of Pittsburgh Tri-State Area School Study Council, and the 2020 Superintendent of the Year from the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association.

The Crisis of School Violence is the only interdisciplinary book about school violence. It presents a broad and in-depth approach to the key questions about why bullying continues at an unprecedentedly high rate and why rampage shootings continue to shock the nation. Based on extensive research, the book investigates human nature and its relation to aggressive behavior, with a special focus on the culture of violence that predicates school violence and perpetuates industries that profit from violence. The Crisis of School Violence presents the considerable psychological and neuroscientific research on the effects of violent entertainment media on the brain and behavior, which clearly reveals a causal connection between exposure to violent media, especially violent video games, and increased violent behavior.
 
Marianna King’s academic and other professional work focuses on violence and violence prevention. As an educator, she has worked with elementary school children in gang-active communities as well as university students, gang members, and violent offenders. She’s published articles for the National School Boards Association, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and other professional organizations. Because of her groundbreaking work on violence prevention, she was honored with a New Mexico Woman of the Year award in the year 2000.
 
 The Crisis of School Violence: A New Perspective, is available at msupress.org and other fine booksellers. You can learn more about the book at its website: www.schoolviolencebook.com. You can connect with the press on Facebook and @msupress on Twitter, where you can also find me @kurtmilb.
 

The MSU Press podcast is a joint production of MSU Press and the College of Arts & Letters at Michigan State University. Thanks to Daniel Trego, Madiha Ghous, Kylene Cave, and the team at MSU Press for helping to produce this podcast. Our theme music is “Coffee” by Cambo. 

Pastor John Bornschein and Mike Mallinger discuss serious issues affecting Colorado residents and U.S. citizens alike: Gun Control, the Equality Act, Legalized Recreational Drugs and Sex-Education Overhauls. Get informed and take action! 

Produced by Calvary Fellowship Fountain Valley church. Learn more at www.CalvaryFountain.com