This study investigates the correlation between student expulsions due to the zero-tolerance discipline policy and dropout rates in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System (EBRPSS), focusing on students in grades 9-12 from 2015 to 2022. Additionally, it examines potential disparities in dropout rates between the northern and southern regions of…

Punitive discipline has been utilized in American schools for many years, but restorative justice practices are becoming more common. The researcher examined the literature surrounding punitive discipline and restorative justice practices. The design and purpose of this study was intended to help schools avoid the problems that punitive discipline…

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…

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:…

Suspension rates for students of color are higher than for White students, even in schools that utilize alternatives to suspension like restorative practices. This study draws on data from a year-long multicase ethnography that sought to elucidate why such disproportionality prevails in schools that use restorative practices. This article focuses…

Existing studies evaluate zero tolerance policies and the school-to-prison pipeline. Additional research identifies the role of criminal justice systems in deporting immigrants. Our work bridges these two literatures by discussing how immigrant students navigate the criminal justice system within schools. Using interviews with immigrant students,…

Discipline referrals and suspensions are used as a last resort to address inappropriate student behavior in schools. The problem investigated in this study was the inconsistent trend in the number of discipline referrals and suspensions during implementation of three different discipline policies (zero tolerance, progressive discipline, and…

How can restorative justice, an increasingly common alternative to zero tolerance discipline, serve as an opportunity to both close the racial discipline gap and promote more critical awareness of structural inequality? Using Knight and Wadhwa's (2014) concept of critical restorative justice, I analyzed interviews with youth leaders and staff at…

After the "1994 Gun-Free School Act," schools expanded the use of zero-tolerance policies with all Connecticut private high schools implementing punitive drug and alcohol policies. Based on the criminological theory of deterrence, zero-tolerance policies deliver severe and certain punishments designed to deter rational actors from…

Threat assessment has been proposed as a method for schools to respond to student threats of violence that does not rely on exclusionary discipline practices (e.g., suspension, transfer, expulsion, arrest). The present study compared disciplinary consequences for 657 students in 260 schools using the Comprehensive Student Threat Assessment…

American high school educators have developed and adopted various disciplinary practices to discourage misconduct among students. Amongst the popular practices are zero-tolerance policies and restorative procedures. Zero-tolerance policies are those whereby student punishment occurs when they violate the code of conduct. Usually, it results in…

Over the last several decades, "zero-tolerance" policies have been implemented by federal, state, and local educational systems, which have altered the culture of learning. A consequence of this "tough on education" culture is what some scholars have called the "school-to-prison-pipeline" which disproportionately…

This study used student suspension data from one suburban and one rural school district in Missouri to describe the relationship between participation in long-term suspension credit-recovery programs and graduation rates of those same suspended students. Students who participated in a long-term suspension credit recovery program were 8.8 times…

Nationally, Black girls experience disproportionate discipline consequences more than any other group of students, starting in preschool with Black girls making up 20% of girls enrolled, but 54% of girls suspended from preschool (Camera, 2017). Inequitable, exclusionary discipline practices occur because there are many forms of institutionalized…

Although delinquency in US schools is near historic lows, concern over delinquency in US schools remains a pressing issue among school officials, parents, and policy-makers. Many scholars argue that the current approach to discipline in the United States is highly punitive. While some projects have assessed the effect of punitive security on…