A brief history of corporal punishment in the public schools, a review of major federal court decisions regarding corporal punishment and due process for students, and an analysis of current trends in disciplinary policy are presented in this report. The conservative trend revealed in school discipline is identified in large part as a response to the misapplication of liberal notions of humane treatment during recent decades. The author urges educators and governmental officials to make every effort to find disciplinary practices that will be constructive and supportive of a student's learning experiences, and argues that investment in research concerning disciplinary alternatives could lead to reduced costs in the long run. (PGD)