This booklet looks at two models that apply to problem behavior of students. The medical model defines problems as being within the student, and assumes there is very little that teachers can do about the behavior of these students. An alternative model is often called the ecological or educational model. The educational model targets disturbing,…

This report, which contains information and observations gathered over a three-week period by participants in a 1981 seminar on discipline, outlines the discipline problems and policies of the Seattle Public Schools. Based on parental, staff, and student concerns that a small percentage of students are engaging in unacceptable behavior, the report…

Suspension rates in Ontario schools are high compared to British figures, low compared to American ones. The first of two sections presents an overview of the current status of school suspensions, including legal considerations, statistics regarding the number of students affected by suspension, characteristics of students who are suspended and…

A review of court opinions on school discipline suggests that the use of academic penalties as a sanction for student misconduct is widespread and increasing. In 12 cases during the past decade examined in this chapter, students won 5 and lost 7. In challenges of school board policies that assess academic penalties for truancy, students won in…

A pilot In-School Suspension Program was inaugurated at one junior high and one senior high school in Montgomery County, Maryland, during 1980-81, in order to provide an alternative to out-of-school suspension. To assess the pilot program's effectiveness, an evaluation study examined rates of and reasons for in-school suspension, length of such…

The paper review Florida's use of the individualized education program (IEP) in addressing discipline issues with behaviorally disordered students. The impact of court rulings on school discipline policies and procedures are examined. IEP components and development are reviewed, and inclusion of disciplinary procedures in the IEP is considered.…

Court decisions that changed suspension procedures to be followed by principals have caused uncertainty about the extent of the principal's authority to discipline students. Suspension is, therefore, being increasingly viewed as a last resort. This newsletter groups alternatives to suspension into three main categories: student detention,…

This testimony, by the staff director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights before the New York City Commission on Human Rights public hearings in May 1974, reviews the U.S. Commission's study of school desegregation over a three-year period, along with earlier research, and asserts that school desegregation is the surest guarantee of equal…

Discusses the U.S. Supreme Court's 1975 ruling that school officials are liable to civil suits when they violate a student's constitutional rights through "ignorance or disregard of settled, indisputable law." After examining implications of the decision, the author concludes that no unjustified burdens have been imposed on school officials. (JG)

The doctrine of in loco parentis (that school authorities stand in the place of a parent while a child is attending school) was always used to measure the rights of authorities relative to student conduct. In 1969, however, the Supreme Court rang the death knell for unrestricted control by school officials over students in its decision on "Tinker…

One explanation for unexpectedly low stress levels among assistant principals may lie in "administrative attribution theory." The demand for school discipline by the public, school boards, teachers, and students should induce high levels of stress in assistant principals, because they are usually responsible for discipline enforcement,…

This monograph takes the position that citizens in a democracy can and should be largely internally controlled and that schools play an important role in preparing democratic citizens by helping students develop the necessary attitudes and skills needed to become internally controlled. Part 1 looks at discipline from a sociological perspective,…

The Uniform Code of Student Conduct Component of Detroit's (Michigan) school desegregation plan was ordered in 1975 by the court to promote a peaceful and orderly environment in the schools so that students could receive educational experiences in an atmosphere which would be substantially free from disruptions and violence. Uniform policies…

A total of 339 elementary school teachers in Detroit, Michigan responded to a questionnaire that was designed to measure the impact of the city's court ordered desegregation plan on their attitudes. The questionnaire focused on several areas including desegregation, busing, student achievement, student racial relations, staff relations,…