The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "School Safety." Contents include: (1) Students Demand Safe, Supportive Schools:…

Schools should be spaces where students feel safe and welcome, actively engage with learning, and strive for success. Discipline policies and practices should reinforce these values, particularly safety and belonging. Unfortunately, ineffective discipline practices that punish students harshly and take them away from the classroom -- like…

The use of exclusionary discipline practices in schools has been well documented since the 1970s with the passing of the Safe Schools Act and implementation of zero-tolerance policies. Despite research indicating the ineffectiveness of exclusionary practices, students continue to receive suspensions and expulsions at alarming rates. Additional…

The school-to-prison pipeline (STPP) describes in shorthand the problematic relationship between some students' school experiences and their subsequent incarceration. One summer, in response to vocal concerned parents, a suburban school board adopted a zero-tolerance policy for smoking and vaping. Through the combined effects of the zero-tolerance…

Research shows that discipline problems are prevalent in public schools and continue to be one of the greatest challenges in education. In "Building Bridges," author Don Parker shows educators how to address this issue head-on. He shares an array of evidence-based strategies to build teacher-student relationships and create a welcoming…

A knowledgeable teacher may fail in teaching due to inability to work effectively with pupils. Thus, pupils may be entertaining each other during class time, talking aloud incessantly, walking around aimlessly in the classroom, and bothering others, among other annoyances. When supervising university student teachers in the public schools, the…

"Principled Resistance: How Teachers Resolve Ethical Dilemmas" brings together senior scholars and activist teachers to explore the concept of resistance as a necessary response to mandates that conflict with their understanding of quality teaching. The book provides vivid examples of the pedagogical, professional, and democratic…

The school-to-prison pipeline is a national concern, from the federal to local governments, and a leading topic in conversations in the field of urban education and juvenile justice. "From Education to Incarceration: Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline" is a ground-breaking book that exposes the school system's direct relationship…

This Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) guidance report is designed to support senior leaders in primary and secondary schools to make better-informed decisions about their behaviour strategies. It includes a number of practical examples of programmes and approaches that should be helpful in schools and classrooms where behaviour is generally…

Special educators frequently teach students with a variety of diagnostic labels, including autism and oppositional defiant disorder. Some of these diagnoses point to the presence of challenging behaviors that might be viewed as threatening and disruptive. Teachers working with these students must make daily choices in how they approach such…

Having the ability to manage the learning environment, motivate students in the environment, and offer instruction that itself is motivating and which contributes to students learning what they need to learn and acquiring skills they need to acquire characterizes effective teachers. To meet these expectations, teachers need highly developed skills…

Despite the growing body of research on bullying, several myths about it persist. Those myths are that bullies have low self-esteem and are rejected by their peers, getting bullied is a natural part of growing up, victims will always continue to be victims, boys are physical and girls are relational victims and bullies, zero tolerance policies…

For over a century, teachers, parents, and school leaders have lamented a loss of "discipline" in classrooms. Caught between guidance approaches on the one hand and a call for zero tolerance on the other, current debates rarely venture beyond the terrain of implementation strategies. This book aims to reinvigorate thinking on "discipline" in…

One of the most consistent--and disturbing--findings in educational research for more than 30 years is that students of color at all grade levels and across the country are suspended at significantly higher rates than their white counterparts (Children's Defense Fund, 1975; Dunbar, C. & Villarruel, F. A., 2002; Gordon, R., Piana, L. D., & Keleher,…

Research shows that students' sense of belonging in their school communities is critically linked to academic achievement. This ninth and final book in "The Soul of Educational Leadership" series offers practical strategies for promoting socially responsible school cultures that foster greater student engagement and democratic values. A joint…