Although studies on school suspensions focus on the disproportionate number of Black students receiving them, policy changes reducing suspensions offer new insights into the racial gap. Using annual school-level data from the Chicago Public Schools (2012-2016), I evaluate how a suspension reduction policy affected the number of students receiving…

This guide is designed to help school leaders and educators use restorative approaches to build relationships and address conflict. These practices help facilitate community building and address infractions, enabling students to take responsibility for their actions and repair harm when possible. This report is organized as follows:(1) Part 1:…

This study examines the impact of an alternative to suspension program on second semester office discipline referrals for participating students. The study compares students who completed the intervention program with those who would have qualified during the school year prior to the program being available at the school district. The study was…

Purpose: This paper investigates the interplay between consequences in restorative practices (RP) and the synergies with responsive classroom, particularly in international schools. Addressing critics who deem RP a "soft option", the study defines "restorative consequences" within the RP framework. It analyses literature and…

In the 1990s and early 2000s, schools across the United States employed exclusionary discipline at increasing rates as a response to student infractions. Researchers studying school discipline reported on these increases and highlighted the fact that exclusionary discipline for students was associated with myriad other negative outcomes, including…

Recently, much public attention has been focused on racial inequalities in who is subjected to exclusionary school disciplinary policies, and consequently, forced to miss hours of instruction. Over the past two decades, researchers have documented the disparate impacts that zero-tolerance policies have had on students of color, low-income…

Restorative practices emerged on the scene within the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) as of recent. In 2006, CPS revamped their Student Code of Misconduct handbook from a strict and stern "zero-tolerance" voice to a more sensitive and subtle "restorative talk" approach. With this transition in effect, the school's culture and…

Embedded within school discipline policies, dress codes, or codes of conduct are gender and racial biases that manifest in exclusionary punishments that have more to do with who girls are rather than what they do. Girls of color face some of the greatest barriers to educational opportunities and social emotional growth inside schools with poor…

Youth social movements for racial justice, especially against police violence, are on the rise. And this broader policy landscape is reflective of how youth are addressing racism in policing in their local context. Therefore, by drawing upon scholarship related to Black Radicalism, activism, and social movements, this study examines how youth of…

Explosions in America's incarceration rates have sparked critical examinations of root causes of entry into the criminal justice system. Researchers have predominantly focused on what is known as the school-to-prison pipeline. Solutions have centered on revising school policies and practices targeting certain students for disciplinary sanctions…

Across the United States, the 'no-excuses' charter school movement featuring strict discipline policies and rigorous academic standards has gained popularity among schools serving poor and working-class students of color. In this article, we examine how Black and Latinx parents of students with disabilities negotiated and experienced these charter…

A substantial body of descriptive work documents large correlations between suspension and a variety of negative future outcomes, both for suspended students and for students who are never suspended but attend schools with high suspension rates (Balfanz, Byrnes, & Fox, 2015; Davis and Jordan, 1994; Dawson, 1991; Fabelo et al., 2011).…

Students need a safe and supportive school environment to maximize their academic and social-emotional learning potential. A school's discipline policies and practices directly impact school climate and student achievement. Together, discipline policies and positive school climate efforts can reinforce behavioral expectations and ensure student…

Teachers in Chicago and Atlanta share their experiences in coping with the problems of maintaining discipline and preventing violence. (Author)

Reviews "Discipline and Learning in Chicago Schools" by Frederick C. Lunenburg, a study of nine public and Catholic secondary schools in Chicago that focused on pupil control ideologies and styles. (TE)