As school systems across the United States seek to address school behavior and examine ways to decrease suspension rates, school administrators face challenges that revolve around maintaining a safe learning environment that fosters a positive school climate while facilitating a balanced approach to discipline and relationship building with…

This qualitative study used BlackCrit theory to elucidate how white supremacist thinking plays out in Black teachers' perceptions of and practices with students with chronic disciplinary patterns. Black teachers' perceptions of Black students are critical to understand because Black students experience disciplinary actions, classroom push-outs,…

This policy brief explores the growing concern around student behavior and school discipline, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which exacerbated existing inequities and increased trauma for students and educators. It highlights the long-standing conflation of school safety and school discipline--distinct but often treated as…

Students who display problematic behavior in schools are subject to punitive disciplinary responses, such as detention and suspension, which typically lead to more serious academic and behavioral difficulties. There is evidence that alternative responses to problematic behavior, such as Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports and mindfulness…

Beginning in the early 1990s, many school districts began to implement zero-tolerance discipline policies that relied heavily on the use of suspensions. As a result, the number of students removed from the classroom and the school environment has dramatically increased over the past 30 years. To increase school safety and combat the rise of school…

In the field of education, teachers are sentries for maintaining proper decorum, upholding school policies, and maintaining a social justice classroom, free of adversarial behaviors. While the premise of proper social and academic student engagement is expected, teachers are not always aware of or able to respond to inappropriate social…

Many school leaders with decision-making authority over discipline have been historically traditional in their approach to misbehavior with the default consequences involving classroom removals and the wide-spread use of zero-tolerance policies (Skiba et al., 2014; Skiba, 2015). Unintended negative consequences have emerged as a result of these…

This dissertation examines the decision-making processes of principals regarding out-of-school suspension of Black boys. Employing a mixed-method approach integrating survey questions and interviews, it delves into the multifaceted layers influencing disciplinary decisions in educational settings. A primary objective is to investigate 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…

This study explored current disciplinary practices by primary school teachers in Eswatini. A missed method design was employed using 48 primary teachers in the Hhohho region in the Kingdom of Eswatini. Instruments used were questionnaires and interviews. Data was collected and analyzed both quantitative and qualitatively. For analyzing data for…

This chapter addresses the over-representation of certain groups of men in campus judicial proceedings and interrogates prevailing ideological and philosophical standpoints related to gender within the area of student conduct. The chapter ends by encouraging a gender-aware restorative justice approach to student conduct practice.

There has been growing concern about the rising numbers of students being excluded from school in England -- a trend that is often set against the declining levels of exclusion elsewhere. In Wales and Scotland, for example, numbers of students permanently excluded from school have fallen dramatically. However, we argue that simple system-level…

The purpose of this study was to examine the Problem of Practice (POP) to determine if Restorative Practices (RP) can have an impact on the disproportionality of out of school suspensions (OSS) for Black and Multi-Race students at Eastern High School. RP has emerged as a promising intervention to mitigate racially disproportionate practices in…

When educators are challenged to address problem student behaviors, the question in their minds should never be "What's the right punishment?" Instead, this book describes the benefits to both teachers and students of using a relational discipline approach. The author draws on deep experiences as a teacher, coach, and school principal to…

Background: School violence is a significant public health concern. Most perpetrators exhibit psychosocial and behavioral warning signals which are often inadequately addressed. While policy and funding typically reinforce politically popular target hardening and threat assessment strategies, these are not most supported by research or requested…