Violent Crime in Schools Down
Violent crime against students in schools fell by 50 percent between 1992 and 2002, with young people more often targeted for violence away from school.
There were about 24 crimes of rape, sexual assault, robbery and physical assault for every 1,000 students in 2002, down from 48 per 1,000 a decade earlier, according to a report yesterday from the Education and Justice departments.
 
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The reduction mirrored the trend found outside classrooms: Overall crime is at a 30-year low across the nation.
The report found instances of school violence involving students have dropped steadily since a string of fatal shootings in the 1990s, notably the 1999 killings of 13 people at Columbine High School in Colorado by two heavily armed students.
Schools have taken a number of steps, from installing metal detectors and hiring more security personnel to implementing programs aimed at curbing bullying, which can lead to more serious offenses. A recent analysis of more than 200 studies shows that school-based violence prevention programs reduce school violence by as much as 50 percent, said Dewey Cornell, director of the Virginia Youth Violence Project at the University of Virginia.
Bush to Push Intelligence Bill
The White House said President Bush will continue to press lawmakers to endorse an intelligence bill that has been stalled by House Republicans. "It's time to get this passed by the entire Congress," spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters. "And the president will be continuing to reach out to members."
The bill, negotiated by House-Senate conferees, would create a director of national intelligence and a counterterrorism center, among other things. Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) blocked a House vote on the measure Nov. 20 when many in his caucus said it would do too little to control immigration and would rob the Pentagon of control over intelligence-gathering satellites.
Senate and House Republicans are attending a retreat in Irvington, Va., today through Thursday, and "senior members of the White House staff" will be there to discuss "how we can move forward, and do so quickly," McClellan said. He said Bush will send a letter to Congress this week that "will, again, make very clear his views on this legislation."
Congress plans to reconvene Monday, when it could vote on the intelligence bill if the impasse is resolved.
Powell Plans Overseas Trip
In what may be his final official overseas trip, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell plans visits to Bulgaria, Belgium, the Netherlands and Morocco from Dec. 6 to 11.
In Sofia, Powell will attend a meeting of the 55-member Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe. In Brussels, the main event will be a NATO Council meeting. Powell also plans to attend a U.S.-European Union meeting at The Hague. In Morocco, Powell will attend a meeting on ways to promote political, economic and social reform in the Middle East and North Africa.
President Bush has nominated Condoleezza Rice, his national security adviser, to replace Powell.
-- Compiled from reports by staff writer Charles Babington and news services
