According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), just over 70 percent of students nationally arrive in high school with reading skills that are below "proficient"--defined as demonstrating competency over challenging subject matter. Of these students, nearly half do not exhibit even partial mastery of the knowledge…

A common image of public schools is that they are inherently violent places where children are in constant danger of becoming victims of crime and are fearful of aggression at the hands of classmates. Noting the relatively few occurrences of violent behavior in most schools, some professionals assert that students are far safer there than in many…

This study assessed the effects of a modified version of Check & Connect, a comprehensive student engagement intervention, on the attendance, behavior, and academic performance of secondary African American females with violent and aggressive behavior problems. In addition, the Student Engagement Instrument (SEI) was used to assess cognitive…

What scope is there for teachers to purposefully deviate from their routine classroom practice in order to respond to disengaging students? A case study of a small provincial school in Australia shows an example of alternative pedagogy used in response to a disengaged group of young adolescents. The students temporarily engaged with a different…

Cooperative behavior is important for well-functioning high school classrooms in which students trust their teachers and actively engage in academic tasks. Yet, discipline referrals for disruption and defiance are all too common and can result in lost instructional time and increased teacher stress. As such, more needs to be understood about…

The Oregon Statewide Report Card is an annual publication required by law (ORS 329.115), which reports on the state of public schools and their progress towards the goals of the Oregon Educational Act for the 21st Century. The purpose of the Oregon Report Card is to monitor trends among school districts and Oregon's progress toward achieving the…

Background: Looking at dress code violations and demographics surrounding kids breaking the rules. Purpose: To see if there is a connection between dress code violations and discipline referrals. Setting: Jr. High School; Study Sample: Students with dress code violations for one week; Intervention: N/A; Research Design: Correlational; and Control…

High levels of disruptive behavior, discipline referrals, and suspensions are among the symptoms of schools which have lost the bonds of respect. Educators face major challenges in transforming these school cultures. This article describes how restorative practices were implemented in certain southeastern Pennsylvania schools. The process of…

Teens may leave school because of academic failure, disciplinary problems, or employment opportunities. In this article, the authors test whether the reasons dropouts leave school differ by grade level and age. We compare dropout rates and reasons across grade levels and ages for all high school students, ethnic groups, and gender groups. Across…

The Oregon Statewide Report Card is an annual publication required by law (ORS 329.115), which reports on the state of public schools and their progress towards the goals of the Oregon Educational Act for the 21st Century. The purpose of the Oregon Report Card is to monitor trends among school districts and Oregon's progress toward achieving the…

This article is a study of conflicting voices inside an alternative high school in Arizona. Voices of alternative schools are, quite often, not included in the discourse of curriculum reform even though the number of alternative schools is growing every year. Bakhtinian novelness of polyphony, chronotope, and carnival are incorporated into an…

The development and implementation of discipline programs for students with exceptional education* needs is a challenging endeavor for school leaders. This case focuses on the application of disciplinary procedures for a chronically disruptive student who is classified severely emotionally disturbed. The case provides a catalyst for educational…

School discipline is viewed as a national concern that is becoming more serious by the day. Practicing teachers, student teachers, and preservice high education students across the country are concerned with discipline-related problems in schools across the nation. Perceptions of discipline influence practicing teachers, student teachers, and…

This article profiles Gail Awakuni, principal of James Campbell High School in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, who was named the 2005 MetLife/NASSP National High School Principal of the Year. From the beginning, Awakuni had a dream for the students of James Campbell High School. She knew that they had untapped potential, despite the fact that the school had…