Examines some obstacles to full implementation of provisions of the 1997 Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Explores ways middle schools might overcome these obstacles, primarily by viewing behavior problems as errors in learning that can be ameliorated through quality instruction. Discusses ways in which schools must…

A five-part article describes and analyzes the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and a behavioral intervention technique called "positive behavioral interventions, supports, and strategies" (PBS). Suggests guidelines for applying PBS within the framework of IDEA, especially as it applies to discipline of students covered…

Background: The views of both service users with intellectual disability and their support staff on the use of physical interventions are largely unknown. The research that does exist describes a largely negative pattern of responses. The present study aimed to explore the personal impact of receiving and implementing physical interventions, and…

The problem of student discipline disproportionately affects urban schools with large numbers of low income and ethnic minority students. Research over the past 35 years however has consistently shown that discipline policies that are understood and accepted by teachers, students, and parents and consistently enforced by school officials,…

School disciplinary policies and practices are essential features of life in U.S. schools. Conventional approaches to school discipline--including conduct codes and security methods, suspension, corporal punishment, and teachers' methods of managing student behaviors--rely primarily on deterrence, control, and punishment to maintain order.…

Office disciplinary referrals can be a useful index for assessing students? discipline problems as well as designing and evaluating school discipline practices. In this paper, we examined disciplinary referral data compiled from an urban elementary school (majority African American) in a midwestern city over a 2-year period. Evident issues…

After a state take-over of most local schools, the fate of public education in New Orleans has been clouded by uncertainty. However, many problems are already clear. The community has expressed outrage on numerous occasions about the management, conditions, policies, and practices of the RSD schools. One fundamental concern has been about the lack…

This document contains findings of a study that examined the relationship between the use of disciplinary actions in Florida schools--in particular, out-of-school suspension, expulsion, and corporal punishment--and juvenile crime and delinquency. The primary data source was a random sample of 43,397 students in grades 6-12 enrolled in Florida…

This handbook describes how a New York City high school transformed itself into a model school. Boys and Girls High School is located in Bedford-Stuyvesant, one of the city's toughest neighborhoods. Over the period 1986-94, the school experienced increases in school attendance, the graduation rate, the number of college-bound students, the number…

Most of the focus of research and debate about school exclusions in the United Kingdom has focused on secondary-age pupils. This paper presents findings of a study that hopes to inform preventative work with primary-age children who display great difficulties in mainstream and special schools. The paper examines evidence about the incidence and…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined Missouri high school principals' perceptions of the effectiveness of various disciplinary procedures, with a focus on in-school suspension (ISS). A survey mailed to 200 Missouri high school principals elicited 159 responses, a 77 percent response rate. The questionnaire asked principals to…

All administrators and teachers face the challenge of implementing discipline procedures that are effective, particularly for special-education students. This book provides an array of practical solutions to everyday problems, primarily for use with special-education students who challenge discipline techniques. The techniques described are based…

Data from campus crime reports and security logs help identify the perpetrators and likely victims of crime on college campuses. The historically black college or university campus is not exempt from physical and verbal acts of violence, and every area of the campus is vulnerable. Although the academy has no duty to protect the community from…

This study investigated state policy, court litigation, and accreditation standards with respect to the use of time-out as a behavior management strategy in special education programs. The study's emphasis was on existing standards concerning the use of locked time-out rooms and student supervision requirements during the application of time-out.…

A congressional hearing on corporal punishment focused on the emotional and physical impact of corporal punishment on children in the classroom, and highlighted legislation (H.R. 1522) which would prohibit corporal punishment in educational programs funded by the federal government. Statements were presented by the following people: (1) Irwin A.…