In today's climate of competitiveness and cynicism, colleges and universities should aggressively review and enforce their policies on academic dishonesty. Education about the importance of ethical academic behavior must be part of the institutional agenda from the moment students are accepted. (MSE)

Several exclusionary discipline practices used with handicapped learners are described. A survey of 253 principals identified the variability of disciplinary practices, as a function of geographic region, community size, principal's sex and years of experience, grade level, differential rules for handicapped and nonhandicapped students, and types…

Studied the extent of use and usefulness of "Turn Your School Round," a behavior management package aimed at promoting discipline, learning respect, and responsibility for one's actions. Found that almost half of 83 schools responding used the program or one of its components; success was reported more among schools using entire program…

Student violations of behavior norms affect the learning of others, the teaching of the instructor, and the atmosphere of the classroom.

In an effort to increase schools' capacity to adequately address anti-social behaviors, school districts around the country are implementing zero tolerance policies and strengthening sanctions for rule violations. Although often well intentioned, these reactive responses are largely ineffective and ultimately displace the problem. The purpose of…

Many politicians, policy makers, and citizens tend to ignore both the value of prevention and the voluminous research disproving the efficacy of punishment. This study offers a review of historical responses to school violence and discipline and offers some suggestions in these areas. After describing the American penchant for punitive correction,…

Little research has been conducted on middle school conduct codes or their effect on unacceptable behavior. This paper presents findings of a study that examined the conduct codes of 59 middle schools across the United States. All of the middle school handbooks addressed unacceptable language (for example, obscenity, harassment, and profanity) in…

Little reliable evidence exists, but observers agree that much student-perpetrated violence and disruption is caused by school policy, school procedures, and various types of habitual behavior that distinguish different schools. Focusing remedial efforts on those attributes of schools that precipitate deviant or delinquent behavior is both more…

A questionnaire given to parents, teachers, and principals of middle-school students shows general consistency among the three groups in ranking student behavior problems--except on student use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, which is ranked high by parents but low by school authorities. (JW)

Presents opposing viewpoints on how liberal court decisions that protect student rights have affected adult authority and youth behavior: Julius Menacker argues that social trends unrelated to court decisions have had a greater effect on delinquency, and Edward Wynne responds that generally, recent changes in court decisions have had negative…

A study that included observations and interviews in street and school settings throughout California and in selected cities nationwide documented the changing nature of gang identity within the broader context of street style and adolescent expression. Suggests that targeting student behavior, as opposed to style of clothing, would be more…

Asserts that state legislatures and school administrators often increase penalties as a response to rising school violence. Presents a secondary school lesson of a new state law designed to keep weapons out of schools. Includes a student handout, a background reading, instructional procedures, and a suggested extension activity. (CFR)

Discusses the pros and cons of corporal punishment in schools, presenting the views of various advocacy organizations and describing experiences of parents whose children have been paddled and of adults who had been paddled as children. (SM)

Student perceptions of what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate classroom behavior are affected by who is being asked. (Contains 3 tables.)

New information on the characteristics of elementary school principals is included in the most recent Schools and Staffing Survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics. The results show that the number of public elementary school principals grew from 54,000 in 1993-1994 to 61,000 in 2003-2004. This roughly corresponds to the…