Schools in New Zealand (NZ) have a range of disciplinary options when dealing with challenging behaviours, one of which is excluding students by way of stand-downs, suspensions, exclusions or expulsions. Following marginal downward trend from 2006 to 2015, the numbers of stand-downs and suspensions have been on the rise again since 2016 despite…

The current study examined associations between proactive and reactive aggression and disciplinary actions in an academic year among middle school-age youth at Time 1 (Fall) and 6-month later (Spring) and evaluated school attachment as a moderator of these links. Findings indicated that reactive, not proactive, aggression was robustly positively…

School violence alludes to peer bullying and aggression in school. The field of communication has studied school violence by analyzing the influence of media and interpersonal relationships on aggressive behaviors. This article provides a perspective on school violence and concentrates on determining the influence of interpersonal communication…

Following the 2016 US presidential election, schools reported an alarming level of fear and anxiety among students of color, increased racial and ethnic tensions in the classroom, and fear of deportation for immigrant youth. Collectively, this phenomenon has been termed "the Trump effect." In this study, we examined the details…

School leaders around the world navigate a learning environment where most students have (or soon will have) ubiquitous access to an Internet-connected device. As a result, districts have implemented acceptable use policies (AUPs) to address the ways that students are using those technologies. In this study, we analyzed the AUPs of 75 one-to-one…

This paper reports on a study that investigated the extent to which student behaviour is a concern for school teachers. A questionnaire was used to investigate teachers' views about student behaviour in their classes. The results suggest that low-level disruptive and disengaged student behaviours occur frequently and teachers find them difficult…

Research indicates that school climate influences students' academic, social, and behavioral outcomes. Therefore, improving school climate provides a promising avenue for preventing academic, social, and behavioral difficulties. Research has examined school-level measurement of school climate, but few studies have examined student-level responses…

Recent research has explored both the disproportionate number of students of color disciplined in schools and the disproportionate severity of discipline for like events. National research has found that not only are African American students disciplined more than their white peers, but they face more severe penalties for like offenses. For this…

Bullying is an issue that is difficult to be eliminated in schools. Bully activity in school is a discipline problem and may interrupt the teaching and learning process. It often receives attention from parents who are concerned that such activity can develop into fights, which can lead to serious injury or even death. The study was conducted in…

Schools' use of zero tolerance policies has been increasing since the 1980s as part of a societal movement to crack down on drug abuse and violence among youth. But far from making schools safer, this harsh, inflexible approach to discipline has been eroding the culture of schools and creating devastating consequences for children, writes…

The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of depressive symptoms among adolescents using concepts drawn from two theoretical models that underlie popular youth-focused programs. Specifically, we assessed the degree to which family-level risk factors increase the likelihood of depressive symptoms, and the degree to which community and/or…

The Authoritative School Climate Survey was designed to provide schools with a brief assessment of 2 key characteristics of school climate--disciplinary structure and student support--that are hypothesized to influence 2 important school climate outcomes--student engagement and prevalence of teasing and bullying in school. The factor structure of…

Disruptive behaviors negatively impact learning by taking time away from classroom instruction (Gottlieb and Polirstok 2005) and may also produce unsafe school environments. This study examined changes in the number of office disciplinary referrals (ODRs) received in public schools prior to and following the schools partnering with one particular…

School administrators continue to use zero-tolerance policies as a one-size-fits-all, quick-fix solution to curbing discipline problems with students. Originally intended to address serious offenses such as possession of firearms, zero-tolerance policies are also now meant to address fighting and disrespect. Despite the seeming popularity of…

Reduce the number of discipline issues that arise in your math classroom with ideas from math education expert Jennifer Taylor-Cox. In this book, you'll learn a variety of ways to handle disruptive, disinterested, avoidant, and/or disrespectful students in K-12 math classrooms. Using realistic, case-by-case examples, the author reveals practical…