Exclusionary discipline policies in K-12 public schools have faced severe scrutiny over the past two decades due to the injurious effects on students' lives. Elevated drop-out rates, anti-social behavior, alienation from peers and school staff, along with lagging behind academically is a sampling of the devastating outcomes students face who are…

Student removal became an increasingly utilized form of discipline since the implementation of zero-tolerance policies during the early 1990s. Evaluative studies have consistently found negative relationships between student removal and academic success. Majority of cases regarding student removal are for minor and non-violent offenses and…

Studies have examined the effects of school disciplinary policies and practices on Black boys. Much of this research highlights the degree to which many of these disciplinary policies and practices have affected Black boys in P-12 contexts in negative ways. A small and emerging body of scholarship has begun to investigate the effects of school…

While research has called attention to the phenomena of a link between school and prison for many Black students in the United States, there has been much less examination of the direct impact to Black families, in this case Black mothers. This paper seeks to center the stories of Black mothers to provide a specific type of sense making around…

For too long, youngsters in Ohio's major cities have been ill-served and ill-educated by their public schools. In the 2008-09 school year, almost half of these quarter million students--in district and charter schools alike--attended schools rated "D" or "F" by the state. Yet this bleak picture has some bright spots--schools…

The problem of student discipline disproportionately affects urban schools with large numbers of low income and ethnic minority students. Research over the past 35 years however has consistently shown that discipline policies that are understood and accepted by teachers, students, and parents and consistently enforced by school officials,…

Large numbers of school age youth in Ohio are not in school, sometimes because they lack motivation, in other cases because of misbehavior or attendance problems. This report examines school motivation and discipline problems and describes how a small sample of Ohio schools have worked to create orderly schools where children are motivated,…

Suspension, although it temporarily alleviates a difficult situation, does little to change behavior or solve the underlying causes of misbehavior. Furthermore, suspension has been found to be used disproportionately against Black students, thus depriving them of access to education. Schools should evaluate their own practices and seek new…

This guide to children out of school is addressed mainly, but not exclusively, to school districts, school personnel, and concerned citizens in the State of Ohio. The greatest focus is on the educator's role in assuring that all children are served and on finding solutions when school participation problems exist. The basic position on attendance…

One of a series of implementation documents prepared in conjunction with the revised minimum standards adopted in 1983 by the Ohio State Board of Education for elementary and secondary schools, this publication provides guidelines for developing attendance policies and procedures, reviews considerations related to attendance, and suggests…