Discipline

Learn more about how schools handle student discipline and how disciplinary actions affect students
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School Climate & Safety Opinion I Combed Through 81 Studies on School Discipline. Here’s What Educators Need to Know
A school discipline researcher offers evidence-based considerations for closing discipline disparities in schools.
Richard O. Welsh, October 6, 2023
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5 min read
Image of a parent and child at a voting booth.
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School Climate & Safety What the Research Says Students Suspended in School May Vote Less as Adults
Exclusionary discipline can have long-term consequences for civic engagement, a new study finds.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 2, 2023
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3 min read
Danny Perez, a 7th grader at Davidson Middle School in San Rafael, Calif., faces a court of his peers for getting involved in a fight. Kristy Treewater, the school’s assistant principal, sits by his side to monitor the student-run session.
Danny Perez, a 7th grader at Davidson Middle School in San Rafael, Calif., faces a court of his peers in 2012 for getting involved in a fight. Kristy Treewater, the school’s assistant principal, sits next to him. Interventions like these, called "restorative justice," have gained popularity as an alternative to suspensions.
Sarah Rice for Education Week
School Climate & Safety What the Research Says Restrictions on Suspending Students From School Show Evidence of Being Effective
New research suggests restrictions on exclusionary discipline can work with support.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 28, 2023
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5 min read
High school student working on computer at home.
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School Climate & Safety Is Virtual Learning a New Form of Exclusionary Discipline?
Some districts are assigning students to virtual learning as a punishment for misbehavior.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 11, 2023
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5 min read
Photo of officer with taser in holster.
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Law & Courts Court Upholds School Resource Officer's Use of a Taser on a Student With a Disability
A federal appeals panel upheld qualified immunity for the SRO and rejected the student's disability-discrimination and civil rights claims.
Mark Walsh, August 30, 2023
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5 min read
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E+ / Getty
School & District Management One of the Country's Largest Districts Is Turning School Libraries Into Discipline Rooms
The Houston school district's decision to shut down libraries in 28 schools reflects a growing trend, according to advocates.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 3, 2023
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6 min read
Illustration of sad/angry boy.
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School Climate & Safety A State Mandated School Threat Assessment. Here's What It Meant for Students
What researchers learned from the largest analysis of school threat assessment to date.
Evie Blad, July 24, 2023
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7 min read
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen on July 13, 2023, in Washington.
The U.S. Supreme Court on July 13, 2023, in Washington. A Tennessee student is suing his school district over his suspension for social media posts that lampooned his principal, and the student contends his discipline is inconsistent with a 2021 U.S. Supreme Court decision on when schools may punish off-campus speech.
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
Law & Courts A Student Lampooned His Principal on Instagram and Got Suspended. Now, He's Suing
The student argues his posts did not disrupt school and are protected under a Supreme Court decision.
Mark Walsh, July 19, 2023
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6 min read
York City School District police officer Britney Brooks walks one of her rounds on March 8, 2018, at William Penn Senior High School in York. Brooks began working as a school police officer in 2015. The York City School District is the only one in York County with its own police department. Officers, who have the power of arrest, operate on a community policing ideology to prevent incidents rather than react to them.
York City School District police officer Britney Brooks walks one of her rounds on March 8, 2018, at William Penn Senior High School in York. Brooks began working as a school police officer in 2015. Teachers who work in districts that have removed SROs told EdWeek they don't want to go back to having school police, but teachers in districts that still have them feel safer due to their presence.
Chris Dunn/York Daily Record via AP
School Climate & Safety What 3 Teachers Think About Eliminating School Resource Officers
Teachers have mixed feelings about school resource officers and whether their presence makes schools feel safer.
Eesha Pendharkar, July 7, 2023
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6 min read
Photo of male African-American teen walking alone.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
School Climate & Safety School Police Prevent Some Violence, But Not Shootings, Research Finds
As police return to more schools, a new study finds that the officers prevent student fights and attacks, but not gun-related offenses.
Caitlynn Peetz, July 7, 2023
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4 min read
A school resource officer in Anderson, Calif., walks a middle school student back to class on Dec. 9, 2013.
A school resource officer in Anderson, Calif., walks a middle school student back to class on Dec. 9, 2013. Advocates disagree on police presence in schools, but agree that they should not be making discipline decisions.
Andreas Fuhrmann/The Record Searchlight via AP
School Climate & Safety Advocates Agree: Police Shouldn't Handle Routine Discipline in Schools
School discipline should be handled by administrators, not school police, advocates for and against school police agree.
Eesha Pendharkar, June 29, 2023
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7 min read
Serious white male teacher helps or disciplines a Black male middle school student during class. The teacher has a serious expression on his face while talking with the student.
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Teaching What the Research Says Targeting Training to Just a Few Teachers Could Help Cut Racial Discipline Gap in Half
Researchers find a small number of teachers are driving up the disparities in discipline referrals.
Sarah D. Sparks, June 16, 2023
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3 min read
Illustration of woman walking into clouds.
Getty
School & District Management What This Principal Learned the First Year on the Job
Despite experience as an assistant principal, Katherine Holden found there was still a learning curve when she took the top school job.
Denisa R. Superville, June 16, 2023
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6 min read
Conceptual collage of a student waiting outside a door in school hallway.
Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week (Image: DigitalVision)
School Climate & Safety How Teacher Bias and School Culture Shape School Discipline
A new study found that teacher biases alone don't explain racial/ethnic disparities in school discipline. School culture plays a hand too.
Ileana Najarro, June 16, 2023
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5 min read
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