The purpose of this paper is to explore the ways in which white fear governs school discipline policies and practices in Alabama. Specifically, we advance white fear as a conceptual framework through which school discipline policies implementation, interpretation, and data reporting can be understood. We focus here on the case of Alabama public…

Racial inequity has long been an issue in the educational system. In recent years, researchers and policy makers have begun to recognize the role of implicit bias in the disproportionate number of African American children who are suspended or expelled from school. Particular attention is being given to the use of exclusionary practices in early…

Children's school experiences may contribute in many ways to disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile justice system, writes Paul Hirschfield. For example, research shows that black students who violate school rules are more often subject to out-of-school suspensions, which heighten their risk of arrest and increase the odds that once…

When teachers wonder "What should I do?" in response to challenging student behaviors, the answers are not as simple as they might seem. What teachers can do also depends, at least in part, on external demands (e.g., discipline codes, principal expectations, time pressures on teaching content and testing) that can either facilitate or…

The American Indian/Alaska Native Students in Oregon report has been prepared by the Office of Accountability, Research and Information Services for the Advisor to the Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction on Indian Education. It is being made available to the public and interested stakeholders to further conversations about improving…

Together, a school district and a local union are working to ensure that educators are trained in restorative practices in order to improve school climates and keep students in school and learning. This article describes how, in recent years, administrators and teachers have shifted from traditional school punishments, such as suspension, to…

This brief describes how to use a free online behavior screener to identify student support needs in middle and high schools. Inclusive Behavior Instruction utilizes data to identify appropriate social-emotional supports for all students. The Lane et al. (2016) study demonstrated system-wide use of a free online behavior screener at the middle and…

At City Springs and many other schools across the country, restorative practices are about holding students accountable and getting them to right a wrong. The approach is getting more notice than ever as criticism grows of zero-tolerance disciplinary policies that often require out-of-school suspension and expulsion. Educators are turning to…

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…

Indiscipline in schools in the UK continues to be the subject of fierce debate. The views of young people as pupils in these schools continue to be marginalised despite their centrality to this debate and their ability to offer a unique set of perspectives. An exploration of the views of a generality of pupils suggests the need to challenge many…

The latest government data, analyzed recently by Howard Witt in an article in the "Chicago Tribune," shows that black students are getting a raw deal in American schools when it comes to discipline. In the average New Jersey public school, reports Witt, African-American students are almost 60 times as likely as white students to be expelled.…

Outcomes of a high school inschool suspension program are presented in this practicum report. Because students associated the former discipline program with unfair treatment and inconsistent sanctions, a new program was developed. Goals were to improve student behavior, attendance, morale, self-esteem, and academic achievement in grades 9 through…

It is proposed that a disciplinary Saturday school may be a good alternative to student suspension because it solves many of the problems involved with suspending students from school. Allowing students to attend Saturday school rather than being suspended gives them an opportunity to improve their grades and to attend all their regular classes.…

A means was developed to reduce the necessity for discipline among the 25 students who were the most chronic discipline problems at Thomas Jefferson High School, a 1,500-student school in suburban Pittsburgh. The students were identified by assigning point values to various disciplinary measures administered to students. The 25 students met with a…

Six steps are provided for addressing the problem of student misconduct: (1) developing a well-publicized districtwide program, (2) creating a task force to develop a misconduct management handbook for teachers, (3) soliciting reactions, (4) field testing the draft, (5) revising the handbook, and (6) followup. (TE)