Cases related to school policies that mandate or lead to automatic grade and/or credit reduction are reviewed in this study. Standard legal research methods were used to analyze 14 appellate and state court cases, which were categorized according to the type of sanction invoked: student suspension for violation of a disciplinary rule; automatic…

A combination of behavioral and motivational theory is proposed to deal with the problem of violence in schools. Characteristics of persons effective in dealing with violent or aggressive students include intelligence, positive attitudes toward students, and high expectations for students. Other personal qualities that are related in general to…

This study: (1) examined approaches of teacher education majors and experienced regular classroom teachers to classroom misbehavior; (2) compared the two groups on selected personality variables (locus of control, Machiavellianism, dogmatism, state-trait anxiety); and (3) examined the relationship of classroom management style to these personality…

Although homosexuality was considered to be a crime in nineteenth-century England, the subculture of the school system promoted it. For example, in the early nineteenth century schoolboys of all ages were locked up in dormitories at 8:00 p.m. and no master entered the building until the next morning. No-one supervised the boys' activities during…

The problems of enacting and implementing child advocacy laws at State and Federal levels are presented along with two cases which illustrate these problems and point to the advocacy role that psychologists can perform. The first case deals with the use of corporal punishment in family day care homes in Michigan. In 1974, rules against corporal…

This report discusses the outcomes of two studies that investigated the effectiveness of the Safe Schools Healthy Students Initiative (SS/HSI), a federal grant program designed to promote healthy childhood development and prevent violence and substance abuse. The first study, titled "Results of a Longitudinal Study of Disciplinary Referrals…

This report presents the results of a study to determine the effects of student dress on behavior while at school. The study took place at 5 high schools, 4 junior high schools, and 10 elementary schools during the 2000-01 school year. The total enrollment of the schools was 8,194. The study involved two or three sets consisting of three days…

When a college/university employee feels that his/her rights have been abrogated, the human resource department and in-house legal staff should be prepared to conduct a comprehensive, objective, and professional investigation. Such issues as proof of misconduct, "reasonable grounds," negligent investigation claims, and defamation claims are…

This paper introduces a project that sought to examines students' perceptions of the meaning of school violence, its impact on their schooling experience, and the effectiveness of current strategies for dealing with violent behaviors. Interviews were conducted with 60 students in grades 7-9 (in groups of 12) drawn from 5 K-9 schools in central…

This booklet describes the characteristics of 16 Chicago-area schools designated as winners in a 1982-83 contest to develop student character and academic learning. Out of the 80 schools competing, the 25 finalists were reviewed for evidence of school effectiveness and outcomes. Schools were asked to assess students' prosocial activities and the…

This article describes an in-class suspension program in a junior high school, designed by the Turn Around Program (TAP) committee of the Myron J. Michael School (Kingston, New York). The committee developed a specific model to fit their needs, emphasizing reform rather than punishment. Suspended students received tutoring, remediation, and…

The relationship between structural coupling within schools and school effectiveness was examined through two questionnaire surveys of 89 public elementary and secondary schools in Kansas. The measures of school effectiveness included teacher perceptions of their school's adaptability and goal attainment, teacher job satisfaction, and student…

The purpose of this study was to determine the ways in which three tenth grade English teachers in a suburban school district established procedural and academic routines. Two classes of each teacher were videotaped for the first ten days of the school year. The teachers were selected because they taught students of comparable ability, and because…

This paper explores some of the ways in which professionals inadvertently or deliberately abuse children and perpetuate child abuse: (1) harassment and rejection of children by school personnel, leading to truancy or dropping out; (2) treatment of psychological disturbances which do not warrant outside help: (3) the pressures from teachers,…

Peer-to-peer sexual harassment is rampant in elementary and secondary schools. While sometimes identified and curtailed, it is usually tolerated and characterized as normal. Regardless of the ways school authorities regard sexual harassment, it interferes with a student's right to receive equal educational opportunities and violates Title IX. This…