Addressing violence against educators through measurement and research

Violence against educators is a significant understudied phenomenon that has been largely ignored by policy makers and funders. The primary goal of this paper is to advance measurement and research on educator safety and victimization. We conducted a comprehensive systematic review of the extant literature (1988 to 2016). Although the number of studies has increased dramatically over the past decade, this review revealed only 37 studies in 28 journals (49,581 educators and 91,099 students). On the basis of this review, we highlight key findings, propose a conceptual framework for measurement development, outline key variables for the design of educator safety registries, and identify research priorities. Multidimensional teacher safety assessment systems and registries for educator safety and victimization are crucial to the advancement of the field and the safety of our schools.