Problems arising from ineffective personnel discipline are examined and a progressive approach designed to remediate bad practices is outlined. The progressive process provides for oral warnings, written warnings, suspensions, and then terminations. A checklist to take managers through the disciplinary process is included. (MSE)

The "boys will be boys" era is over. Districts must take two basic actions to establish schools that are free of sexual harassment: publish a written policy and provide training for students. This article explains California Code and Federal law requirements, the value of special curricula, and the need for maintaining confidentiality,…

Reviews key cases concerning disciplinary and academic decisions in higher education handed down by courts in 1997. Cases touched on procedural due process (for medical residents, academic versus disciplinary decisions, other notable issues), double jeopardy, breach of contract, student discipline records under the Family Education Rights and…

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.…

There are specific legal restrictions on types of school disciplinary measures. The courts have tended to uphold traditional notions of school discipline, measuring these by the common-law yardstick of reasonableness or viewing the schools "in loco parentis." This article reviews major court decisions involving detention, corporal punishment,…

It is impossible to change from a discipline policy of constraint to one of consent and engagement if students lack a legitimate voice in school governance. In middle schools, the "Dream Team" approach can employ sociograms to identify the most broadly respected and most socially isolated students. A student-centered pedagogy enhances…

A Spanish teacher successfully sued a student she claimed terrorized her, after school administrators ignored her complaints. Nearly 11% of teachers experience verbal and physical abuse by students. Although some states are stiffening penalties against violent students, educators' best recourse is to publicize the problem, devise policies, and…

Professor Hill Walker has identified three challenges to handling disruptive student behavior: prevention, at-risk programs, and high-intensity interventions. Principals should beware administrative traps: getting tough is enough, targeting a few difficult students, seeking quick fixes, finding one powerful trick, revering outside experts, and…

Student discipline problems in some high schools have been exacerbated by external societal problems. This paper presents outcomes of two discipline programs implemented in a small, rural high school. One program involved the creation of a Saturday school for students serving detention. The Alternative Learning Education Center (ALEC) was…

The Escuela Internacional Sampedrana (EIS) in Honduras implemented a new discipline program in its Primary School during the 1996-97 school year. This paper contains findings from three evaluations of the program--an initial analysis, a midyear report, and a year-end report. The first report analyzed the number of suspensions and detentions, as…

Issues in suspension reform are examined in this document, which identifies the need for reform in the Oakland, California, public schools and offers suggestions. Data was derived from the conclusions of educational researchers, experiences of educators and students, and analysis of local data. Following the overview, which asserts that the level…

Forced discipline refers to the specific procedures, routines, and standards required for carrying out course-related tasks. This paper discusses various facets of discipline, then looks at how 160 students in a basic speech-communication course respond to forced discipline. The paper next looks at how 30 basic-course directors define forced…

A college's disciplinary proceedings are teaching mechanisms. They take advantage of the rare "teachable moment" in crisis to both respond to an act and carry out the institution's primary mission by influencing the student's understanding of right and wrong, thus creating or strengthening the student's understanding of ethics and values.…

Distressed at student disregard of clearly communicated rules and regulations, a Huntington Beach (California) high school principal realized the delivery system was not personalized enough. Having administrators visit each English class to explain reasons behind the rules improved the situation. Also, a new block schedule improved teacher-student…

Complying with the founding values (human dignity, equality and freedom) of the South African Constitution is one of the most important challenges of creating and maintaining a safe, disciplined environment where effective teaching and learning can take place. All school principals, educators and school governing bodies--bearing in mind the…