Discipline

Learn more about how schools handle student discipline and how disciplinary actions affect students
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
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School Climate & Safety Opinion Restorative Justice Is Not Just an Alternative to Discipline
But done correctly, the practice can create a culture of connection, belonging, mutual respect, safety, and trust.
Larry Ferlazzo, December 7, 2023
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14 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
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School Climate & Safety Opinion Should Classroom Discipline Be Based in ‘Restorative Justice’?
Discipline often divides conservatives and liberals. Is there room for common ground?
Rick Hess, December 4, 2023
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9 min read
The image displays a lonely teenage boy facing away from the camera, sitting on the curb in front of his high school.
Discipline data from the 2020-21 pandemic era, released by the U.S. Department of Education, shows persisting disparities in discipline based on race and disability status.
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School Climate & Safety Disparities, Bullying, and Corporal Punishment: The Latest Federal Discipline Data
As most schools offered hybrid instruction in 2020-21, Black students and students with disabilities were disproportionately disciplined.
Eesha Pendharkar, November 21, 2023
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5 min read
Tanya Holyfield, a second grade teacher with Manchester Academic Charter School, teaches remote students from her classroom on March 4, 2021, in Pittsburgh.
Tanya Holyfield, a 2nd grade teacher at Manchester Academic Charter School, teaches remote students from her classroom on March 4, 2021, in Pittsburgh. New federal data from the 2020-21 school year show that longstanding inequities among groups of students did not change much even in a year when many students spent all or part of the year in remote and hybrid learning.
Andrew Rus/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Equity & Diversity What the Research Says New National Data Show Depth of Disparities in a Chaotic Year of Schooling
The first federal civil rights data released since the pandemic show that inequities persisted even when school buildings shut down.
Eesha Pendharkar & Sarah D. Sparks, November 15, 2023
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10 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
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Teaching Opinion How Do Restorative Practices Work? Educators Share Implementation Tips
Restorative practices are not just an alternative means to meting out discipline. They're also about building community.
Larry Ferlazzo, November 2, 2023
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13 min read
Illustration of dark hallway with Office Room Light at the end
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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
Photo of empty school library
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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
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