Pre-service and in-service training for teachers and administrators can vary between institutions. Some formal education programs train teachers for curriculum development, leadership characteristics, lesson planning, and subject-based knowledge acquisition. However, some pre-service teacher education institutions and in-service professional development programs may not formally address the antecedents to conflict and violence within school environments. Within the United States, rates of teenage violence (ages 13-19 years) exceed other developed countries. Many manifestations of conflict and violence both exist and lead to youth substance abuse, lowered academic achievement, mental illness, suicidal ideation, and social distrust. Examining the perceptions educators have regarding school violence prevention is needed. The Origins of School Violence does just that! This book examines the cyclical nature of an overall lack of understanding regarding the causes of school violence—straight from the hearts and minds of high school educators and administrators. The absence of a formal education at the undergraduate, graduate and in-service training levels of education for teachers and administrators are akin to throwing gasoline on a fire. This lack of a formal education leads to unworkable district-forced policies, forced prevention programs that are built on quicksand, State political officials that adopt such indoctrinating programs, and workplace distrust among school-based employees and students alike. The Origins of School Violence provides firsthand testimonies from educators and administrators, as well as solutions that are simple and effective in order to prevent school-based violence. The US Review of Books -Michelle Jacobs At a time when school violence is on the rise and solutions are sought by a society reeling from its effects, Dr. Brooks examines the problem through existing research, a case study, and rigorous analysis. He concludes that teachers are ill-prepared despite pre-service teacher training programs and professional development to manage the conflict and violence inherent in the modern-day classroom. Filled with documented research from the field and a detailed explanation of a case study, Dr. Brooks illuminates the need for teachers to be trained and prepared for students entering the classroom with a host of mental health issues that can lead to conflict and violence. The voices of teachers add impact to the cause as they recount in their own powerful words the struggles they face in the classroom and the realities of ineffective training and wasteful professional development. By uncovering the failures of schools to prepare teachers to face the crisis of conflict and violence in our schools, Dr. Brooks contributes to the ongoing discussion of transformation in our schools for students and for the educators tasked with keeping them safe. Dr. Brooks clearly emphasizes prevention as a valid and critical response to the current climate of violence, based on his exhaustive research and investigation of educators' experiences. Dr. Sean M. Brooks has spoken nationally and internationally on the topics of conflict and violence in school, teacher education, teacher leadership, curriculum and instruction, classroom management, and freedom and independence in education. He holds three degrees in Education, including a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in learning, instruction and innovation. Dr. Brooks is the author of the books;  Where the Finger Points, Violence Among Students and School Staff, The Mental and Emotional State of School-Aged Students, The Origins of School Violence , and  Purposeful Deception .