This description of the research, the development of state laws, and the origins of practices attempting to restore safe schools suggests that there was a relationship among research, policy, and practice. The Congress of the United States enacted the Safe School Study Act in 1974 to ensure a safe environment for education. In response to this legislatuion the National Institute of Education (NIE) in 1978 designed a study to acquire information on the current status of safety in public schools. In 1983, another study was undertaken by the Boston (Massachusetts) Safe Schools Commission to ascertain violence, victimization, and discipline in Boston high schools, and in 1984 the U.S. Department of Justice collaborated with the U.S. Department of Education and Pepperdine University to sponsor the National School Safety Center, which develops educational programs to promote safe schools. This reivew indicates that there is a connection between practice and research. At present California is the forerunner in establishing victims' rights and mandating principals to report all misdemeanors and felonies that occur on the campuses. The review found that small class size, a perceived fair discipline practice, a visible principal, participatory decision-making including teachers and students, and a cohesiveness among teaching staff and principal all related to less violence and vandalism. (LMS)