To better understand school counselors' experiences related to implementing restorative practices (RP) in schools, the authors conducted a qualitative study with eight practicing school counselors working in schools that were in the early phases of implementation. Four major themes emerged from the Consensual Qualitative Research methodological…

Many public urban K-12 schools are in neighborhoods that struggle with systemic social injustices that include poverty, racism, violence, and lack of meaningful opportunities. These realities threaten students' success in school and contribute to injustices in the school system, such as disproportionality in discipline for students of color. In…

Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) was the only high school district profiled as part of this project. The high school district is made up of 13 elementary districts that feed into it and has 11 comprehensive high schools, four small specialty schools, three micro-schools, three support schools and a digital…

During the 2013-14 school year, more than 600 students were struck in public schools each day in the United States. It's a practice that is still allowed in thousands of public schools even though it's generally prohibited in daycare centers, foster care systems and a host of other settings for children. While corporal punishment is illegal in a…

Racial inequity is a pernicious problem in American schools. Discrepancies in school discipline show that black students are two to three times more likely than their peers to be suspended and expelled, even for similar infractions. This directly affects the racial achievement gap, school dropout, and involvement in the juvenile justice system.…

This report focuses on the activities of school advocacy groups in the area of school discipline. It concludes that the advocacy approach, while not always appropriate, is the most desirable for problems which neither conventional school programs nor relatively new conflict resolution mechanisms adequately address. (Author/RLV)

Because negotiation channels creative energy and uses student ideas for the benefit of the school, it can create an environment more conducive to teaching and learning than the repressive environments that cause petty irritations, repeated disruptions, violence, and vandalism. (Author/IRT)

Instead of making suspension and detention the backbone of discipline programs, schools should try alternative learning centers operating on several different levels simultaneously. Centers can be inschool suspension programs or places where kids can take time-out, study, or voluntarily get their heads together. Centers are most effective when…

An outcome evaluation of the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (RCCP) in four New Orleans (Louisiana) public schools studied the program's impact on teachers' classroom management skills and the use of suspension as a disciplinary measure. Over half of the 63 teachers thought that RCCP improved their problem managing behavior, and principals…

This book attempts to dispel the myths and misconceptions surrounding the lessons learned from national school violence crises and shifting security threat trends. Its objective is to deliver balanced, practical, and cost-effective steps for preventing and managing school crises, including how to recognize "red flag" warnings of potential…

After four years of implementation, the National Center for Education Statistics found that schools employing zero-tolerance policies are still less safe than those without such policies. Indiscriminate use of force is the hallmark of authoritarianism. Programmatic prevention, screening and early identification, and effective discipline policies…

This policy statement from the Michigan Department of Education interprets federal provisions and the laws of the state as they may pertain to children receiving special education services. It describes disciplinary procedures for students already receiving special education services, students not yet eligible for special education, students…