Rising Autism diagnosis rates have prompted numerous awareness campaigns, treatment programs, social-emotional learning initiatives, research institutes, etc. Developing analogously, the Neurodiversity movement--an activist-led social justice movement focused on equity and justice for neurodivergent people--has presented compelling critiques of…

Undesirable behavior happens in schools and has often been punished by suspending and expelling students who misbehave. Exclusionary practices like these deprive students of educational opportunity and have not been shown to improve behavior or school climate. Negative consequences include the school to prison pipeline, which refers to a…

Zero tolerance practices have been a mainstay in the U.S. educational system for decades. Yet, the American Psychological Association (2008) and Skiba and Losen (2015-2016) declared that zero tolerance has had no positive impact on school climate. Further, Skiba (2014) stated that it does not improve student behavior. Restorative practices, on the…

School suspension and expulsion are not limited to middle and high school students; these exclusionary approaches to discipline begin in early childhood settings such as elementary schools. Most studies regarding exclusionary discipline have been conducted on the middle and high school level, but there are very limited studies regarding…

School leaders at a middle school in a rural school district in Georgia were looking for ways to reduce poor student behavior, which has a negative impact on school climate. Judicious Discipline, a program based on Kohlberg's 6 stages of moral development, Bandura's social learning theory, and the 3 constitutional rights of freedom, justice, and…

In spite of research documenting the negative effects of punishment, most high schools and correctional facilities rely on punishment to establish order and compliance with rules and routines (Nelson, Sprague, Jolivette, Smith, & Tobin, 2009). One alternative to punitive consequences is School Wide Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports…