This study examines how staff working for one Ontario school board perceive two distinct approaches to school discipline policy: the Safe Schools Act (Bill 81) and Progressive Discipline and School Safety (Bill 212). The more centrally controlled and rigid Safe Schools Act was criticized by interviewees and cited for human rights violations.…

Little research exists that examines the exercise of discretion by principals in their disciplinary decision making. This study sought to understand the application of values by principals as they engage in student disciplinary decision making within legally fixed parameters of their administrative discretion. This qualitative methodology used…

This study examined the relationships between implementation of a school-wide approach to behavior, School-wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS), and teacher self-efficacy. Twenty-two teachers from schools implementing SWPBS and 40 teachers from schools not implementing SWPBS completed a questionnaire measuring aspects of self-efficacy.…

This qualitative case study explores the implementation of restorative justice within one Ontario Public School. Restorative justice is a philosophy and a process for dealing with harmful behaviour, viewing such behaviour as a violation of relationships, not rules. My research seeks to present how restorative justice has been implemented in one…

An evaluation of discipline and vandalism in Scarborough, Ontario, Schools was conducted. Its objectives were: (1) to determine the level of self-discipline among students as perceived by parents, teachers, caretakers, office staff, and the students themselves; (2) to compare the responses and expectations of these groups for various grades and…

Presents 15 teachers' viewpoints on discipline; parent, teacher, and student thoughts on the causes of discipline problems; a federal discipline policy statement; a list of common discipline problems; eight questions to ask when exploring practical solutions; and approaches to discipline problems. (AH)

This paper offers an overview of three previous studies based on surveys of almost 1000 Ontario parents, 3500 teachers, and over 6100 students; each of which monitors the participants' experience with and attitudes towards the system of education. The intention of the overview is to assimilate the findings of the previous research into a single…