The purpose of this study was to determine how an urban school district's code of conduct aligned with actual school/class behaviors, and how stakeholders perceived the ability of this document to achieve its number one goal: safe and productive learning environments. Twenty participants including students, teachers, parents, and administrators…

Maintaining well-disciplined schools is becoming more difficult in today's educational system, and problem behavior or lack of school discipline is reaching crisis proportions. Nationally recognized author and educator Geoff Colvin provides the "what's," "why's," and "how's" for establishing an effective discipline program while promoting an…

This article describes 12 major components--grouped into philosophical, organizational, and operational categories--that should be included in planning and initiating an effective school discipline system. (Author/JW)

Reviews research on the relationship between school order and academic achievement. Emphasizes the need to distinguish between order that is the product of coercion, and order that is the product of self-discipline. (FMW)

This monograph explores the social context of the school and how this context influences, for better or worse, the academic and social behavior of students. It reviews how most student behavior serves a meaningful purpose for the student and how similar behaviors may serve distinctly different functions for various students. It also explores how…

This policy brief discusses the impact on students with disabilities of educational reforms that emphasize higher academic standards for all students and zero tolerance policies to make schools safe learning environments for all students. The public's demand for higher standards and safe environments is also explored. The development of academic…

This report describes the methodology and initial results of an evaluation of the universal (school-wide) Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support (PBIS) initiative in Illinois, including (1) strategies for establishing research-based practices and data-based evaluation systems in implementation schools; (2) methodology and initial findings of…

Discipline is essential to quality education. A blueprint for classroom discipline is presented that is designed to restore discipline in the classroom. The plan calls for the participation and cooperation of parents, teachers, administrators, the school board, and the students. The plan is based on principles such as: (1) school administrators…

Why is classroom management especially problematic for urban teachers, and why has research yielded so few helpful answers to this question? In this article I take up both questions, suggesting that the answer to both emanates from the same source: the reliance on deficit paradigms to explain underachievement of students who have historically not…