This report presents findings from a national study of school discipline and zero tolerance policies in school districts nationwide. Findings indicate that in every district studied, there are significant racial disparities in student suspensions and expulsions. By increasing school expulsions, zero tolerance policies have a disproportionate…

This report on drug abuse in schools is based on 6 years of analysis, focus groups, and field investigations. Prior research has determined that if young people do not engage in smoking or substance abuse by age 21, their chances of engaging later are next to nothing. It has also been determined that next to parents, schools have the greatest…

Violence-prevention policies stress high-tech security measures and zero tolerance over compassion. Student policing is intensifying, despite declining youth violence, rarity of shootings, and failure of police protection. Suburban youth violence is rooted in masculinity misconceptions and sexual harassment. Education, not retribution, should…

To reduce liability risks, there are no substitutes for knowing law and policies, consulting with an attorney beforehand, providing adequate staff training, and documenting efforts. School law hot spots include negligence, religion, discipline policies, sexual harassment, magnet school diversity policies, and high-stakes testing. (MLH)

This book presents the views of educators, intellectuals, students, and community activists to show that most students expelled from schools under new disciplinary measures are sent home for nonviolent violations; that the rush to judge and punish disproportionately affects black and Hispanic students; and that the new disciplinary ethos is…

Schools are legally obligated to protect students from injury, report child abuse, and curtail harassment and hate crimes. Educators' duties to maintain safe school environments often conflict with students' constitutionally protected rights governing expression, appearance, unreasonable searches, and due process regarding zero-tolerance policies…

This policy brief discusses the impact on students with disabilities of educational reforms that emphasize higher academic standards for all students and zero tolerance policies to make schools safe learning environments for all students. The public's demand for higher standards and safe environments is also explored. The development of academic…

Examines U.S. public schools' changing demographics and their effects on barriers to equal opportunity for racial and ethnic minorities. Disabilities of poverty, inadequate income, denied access to shared American values, and collective discrimination obstruct these groups' high educational attainment. Equity plans and monitoring must eliminate…

Educator violence against students (verbal and physical assaults and the undermining of students' constitutional rights) erodes rather than enhances school safety. Unnecessarily harsh disciplinary practices create a violence-prone climate mirroring U.S. society--the most retributive of Western nations. Democratic classroom practices can help…

College and university faculty and administrators are responsible for constructing academic honesty policies and communicating them to students. This is often attempted through institutional honesty policies and university-wide honor codes. While these approaches have been widely researched, less attention has been given to the role of individual…

As required by Tennessee law, this report examines the state's zero-tolerance disciplinary data collected by the Tennessee Department of Education for school years 1999-00, 2000-01, and 2001-02. The first section displays statewide zero-tolerance statistics. The second section focuses on the zero-tolerance statistics of Tennessee's five major…

Recent Ontario governmental policy proposals related to university governance and autonomy were based on an articulated need by various groups for zero tolerance of harassment. The paper critiques the proposals as a threat to many aspects of university integrity and academic freedom. The paper notes implications perceived for the erosion of…

Throughout the United States, schools most frequently punish the students who have the greatest academic, social, economic, and emotional needs. An examination of which students are most likely to be suspended, expelled, or removed from the classroom for punishment, reveals that minorities (especially Blacks and Latinos), males, and low achievers…

This paper discusses ways that educators can develop a variety of school-based programs that can significantly reduce the threat of serious violence and disruptions. An effective technology of school safety, it states, begins with knowledge and understanding. The purpose of the paper is to outline the current state of knowledge about…

Thirty-eight Latin American mothers with young children tell of their perceptions of school discipline and comportment issues and talk of their children's encounters with "zero tolerance" legislation, and related rules for conduct, implemented by the local school boards. The purpose of this exploratory study is to understand: (a)…