The purpose of this thesis is to address disproportionate "discipline" of minorities, i.e. ethnic/racial minorities and children with disabilities, discrimination against ethnic/racial minorities and children with disabilities in the form of verbal and physical abuse, and draconian zero tolerance policies with their one-size-fits-all…

Though the media depicts U.S. youth as more criminally prone than they actually are and highlights school shootings, schools are still one of the safest places for youth to be. This policy brief adds perspective to punitive school policies (e.g., zero tolerance policies that require suspension or expulsion) in the face of stable or declining rates…

Schools are taking many different steps to prevent violence, among them improving relationships with students and building on the relationship with local law enforcement. A comprehensive strategy should definitely include a good crisis plan. All school personnel should know what the plan says as well as their roles in implementation. One sidebar…

This digest presents an overview of successful urban anti-truancy strategies, including both supports and penalties for students and their families. It is generally believed that to prevent truancy a sustained, multifaceted, and personalized program for each student must be developed. Community collaboration is essential to these efforts, as the…

This report examines the use of law enforcement agencies and the juvenile justice system as a double jeopardy mechanism for students, documenting the derailing of students from an academic track in school to a future in the juvenile justice system. The first section explores the emergence of zero tolerance policies and how they have led to the…

Zero-tolerance policies should not be used solely to rid the school of troubled students needing special counseling and mentoring. Administrators should involve teachers, parents, community leaders, and student representatives in formulating such policies. School-safety considerations and student rights must be balanced. (MLH)

This article is a study of conflicting voices inside an alternative high school in Arizona. Voices of alternative schools are, quite often, not included in the discourse of curriculum reform even though the number of alternative schools is growing every year. Bakhtinian novelness of polyphony, chronotope, and carnival are incorporated into an…

This report analyzes current public education policies, procedures, and practices that compound racial inequities by profiling students of color. Such practices divert resources away from proven solutions that advance academic excellence. Bias in high-stakes testing serves to increase student achievement gaps. Zero-tolerance and maximum-security…

Much of this brief comes from the ERIC Digest on Zero Tolerance Policies (ERIC #: ED451579). State legislatures and school boards are adopting a growing number of zero-tolerance polices toward weapons, guns, and violence. Zero-tolerance polices are rules intended to address specific school-safety issues. Despite the controversies that it has…

Zero-tolerance policies have had no appreciable effect on reducing violence, have had an adverse effect on African American students, and are receiving mixed reactions in the courts. Effective solutions are seen as improving overall school climate to guide school operations related to student discipline. (Contains 13 references.) (MLF)

The Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is working towards obtaining accreditation for a two-year Associate of Science Degree in Electronics Engineering. SIPI is a tuition-free vocational-technical training institution, designated in 1993 as a community college. Since 1991 the institute has enforced a…

Zero-tolerance policies, security systems, peer mediation, and other "supervisory" violence-prevention measures ignore the classroom's potential for forming or modifying student behavior. When properly trained in cooperative-learning methodology, teachers can reinforce positive social behaviors and encourage tolerant attitudes on a daily…

This study is about systemic containment of Black youth by authority structures within schools and law enforcement agents in racialized communities. Through the retrospective narratives of incarcerated Black students in a secure custody institution, vivid insights are provided into the construction of fear of Black youth and of the ways that…

The overwhelming response to the issue of school violence schools has been an increasing presence of zero tolerance policies. Research has consistently found that students of color, specifically African American students and in particular males, tend to be disproportionately affected in a negative way when school systems implement zero tolerance…

The "Research & Action Report," published twice a year, is a window on the activities and initiatives at the Wellesley Centers for Women. The report typically features news about the Centers, interviews with researchers, commentary on recent events or social trends affecting women and girls, announcements of new publications, and much more.…