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…

We hope this report will help to renew attention to the problem of excessive discipline. In keeping with this aim, we compare the projected full-year suspension rate for 2019-2020 to rates from prior years. We provide these projected suspension rates for the overall student population in California, and for every racial/ethnic subgroup at the…

Research suggests that a cycle of misbehavior can escalate quickly from corrections over minor rule infractions to threats of serious disciplinary consequences. There is also evidence that Black youth may be especially at risk for these escalations due to subtle or implicit racial bias, or cultural mismatches that may lead teachers to believe that…

The practice of seclusion generally refers to procedures that isolate a student from others, while restraint refers to the physical holding or mechanical restriction of a student's movement. While these practices are typically utilized as tools for addressing imminent safety concerns, the use of restraint or seclusion on students who are…

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…

The aim of this study is to examine the records of secondary education institutions' disciplinary committee decisions, and to put forth the reasons why high school students are punished, and which punishments are given. The distribution of these punishments in terms of students' grade, school type and gender is also explored in the study. In this…

There have been an increasing number of incidents in which school resource officers (SRO) have been used to manage student disciplinary issues with disastrous results. Court cases brought by parents and advocacy groups claim SROs have traumatized and injured students. This article addresses several critical issues concerning SROs being used to…

The author presents the concept of natality for consideration in terms of pastoral care and educational purpose. The discussion identifies significant threats to the future for pastoral care in schools, including the Global Educational Reform Movement and the increasing emphasis on teachers taking charge of discipline in the classroom, at the…

In the past several years, there has been an important movement to reduce the utilization of restraint for individuals with developmental disabilities. Legislatures, local and national, are taking on the task of shaping the way that our culture supports people who, up until now, have been often treated in a punitive manner rather than truly…

As campuses attempt to address issues of intolerance on campus, they are challenged to navigate between the desire to punish behavior and the responsibility to educate students. Campus leaders must navigate through ethical challenges as they determine the appropriate institutional response.

This report examines bottlenecks impeding desirable discipline practices in Guyana, with specific focus on the impact pedagogical training has in shaping early childhood practitioners' practices during interaction with children's stimulation and learning programmes. Targeting disciplinary approaches through an ethnographic-type case study, this…

This study examined the relationship between administrative strategy by principals and their effectiveness in tackling disciplinary problems. Three research questions were asked and one hypothesis was raised and tested at 0.05 level of significance. Ninety-five randomly selected principals from Bayelsa State constitute the sample. The instrument…

Racial disparities in teacher-issued office discipline referrals are less discussed than the well-documented suspension gaps. Discipline referrals, like suspension, can lead to lost instructional time. Although individuals are sent out of the classroom for a range of reasons, Black students, as a group, are at greater risk of being sent out than…

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…

A review of student discipline and suspension data disaggregated by race highlights how school leader biases influence disciplinary decisions. Yet, the majority of principal preparation programs have failed to develop structures and norms that result in critical conversations pertaining to race and racial inequities. This article is written from a…