Community School 53 has seen a significant increase in suspension rates over the past five years. The suspension rate in 2018-2019 was 5.04%; during the 2019-2020 school year the rate was 8.11%. There is no data from the school year 2020-2021 due to COVID-19. The suspension rate rose drastically in 2021-2022 to 18.10%, and it was at 17.62% for the…

This report investigates the implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) during the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on school discipline. It highlights the challenges faced by educators, including increased student problem behaviors due to disruptions in traditional schooling. The study evaluates how different tiers of…

I examine the effect of out-of-school suspensions (OSS) on attendance in a large midwestern urban district with high rates of chronic absenteeism. I do so from an ecological perspective and using daily attendance and discipline data. Out-of-school suspension has a modest and persistent negative effect on subsequent attendance, particularly for…

The negative outcomes of exclusionary discipline practices on children and youth are well established. Fortunately, for the past two decades, research has demonstrated that pro-active instructional approaches and building supportive class and school environments can effectively promote student social, emotional, and behavioral well-being,…

Students with social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties (SEBD) often struggle in traditional classroom settings. Outdoor adventure education programs have been proposed as an alternative approach to support these students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of developing and implementing an outdoor adventure education…

Disproportionate rates of behavioral problem reporting and consequences for African American males have occurred for decades. With the consequences surrounding problem behaviors typically removing the student from the classroom, whether to the principal's office or for an in-school or out-of-school suspension, time spent in the classroom for…

The purpose of this study was to examine how Pleasant Academy (a pseudonym), implemented and experienced Restorative Practices. This approach represents an alternative to traditional, punitive disciplinary actions, such as suspension or expulsion. Mansfield et al. (2018) maintained that Restorative Practices did not have a single definition but…

Zero-tolerance in school disciplinary procedures impacts or contributes to the nationwide school-to-prison pipeline (STPP). According to the American Bar, school prison incarceration rates in the United States (U.S.) have been correlated to the excessive practices of school disciplinary policies. The U.S. incarcerates more citizens than any other…

This study tests the impact of adding Restorative Practices within secondary schools implementing the Diplomas Now turnaround model in 8 large U.S. urban districts on: (a) the severity of disciplinary problems in these schools, (b) the probability that students would be suspended three days or more during the school year, and (c) the chronic…

The purpose of this study was to provide a measurement of the relationship between implementing Restorative Practices and Office Referrals. The background of this study was primarily rooted in the researcher's role in discipline and the restorative practices training the researcher was involved in. This training subsequently became the primary…

The use of exclusionary discipline practices in schools has continued to increase since the advent of Zero Tolerance discipline policies in the 1990s. Research indicates that these practices are largely ineffective in addressing behavior, and result in detrimental outcomes for students and communities. This study focused on the use of Disciplinary…

School-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) is a tiered framework that supports the academic, social, and behavioral needs of students. In this study, we conducted a conceptual replication of Grasley-Boy et al. (2022a) and used a series of two-level linear multilevel analyses to examine the impact of SWPBIS fidelity on 10…

This study examined the impact of a classroom-level component of The Inclusive Skill-building Learning Approach (ISLA), an instructional and restorative alternative to exclusionary discipline, on student behaviors and school discipline practices in middle schools. Intervention implementation, classroom observations, and all other data collection…

The primary goal of the present mixed methods review is to systematically examine the available evidence for the effectiveness of different types of school-based interventions for reducing disciplinary school exclusion. Quantitative evidence will help to understand the overall size of the impact, as well as the factors that better explain it.…

African American males receive a disproportionate number of referrals that result in punitive and exclusionary consequences. These referrals are often more subjective and include reasons such as disrupting class, disrespect, and refusal to obey. In- and out-of-school suspensions lead to a loss of instructional time for students, as well as a…