Zero-tolerance policies, which require out-of-school suspension or expulsion for certain inappropriate behaviors, have become the go-to disciplinary approach in many schools. But research suggests some downsides: Such punishments may not change students’ behavior and are often meted out unfairly. These articles explore alternative approaches to suspension or expulsion.
Gilbert Orellana, a psychiatric social worker, answers questions from Angelica Lopez during a lunch detention group at Garfield High School in Los Angeles. Lunchtime interventions are among the strategies the school is using to reduce out-of-school suspensions.
Schools are using lunchtime detentions, Saturday schools, alternative schools, and other forms of in-school suspension to keep students on the academic track.
Nirvi Shah, November 6, 2012
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8 min read
Mentor teacher Sherilyn Waters, right, talks with her mentee, Sasha Inouye, in a kindergarten classroom at Kalihi Elementary School in Honolulu. Ms. Waters says classroom management is a topic that comes up frequently in her discussions with new teachers.
Some schools are cutting down on suspensions and office referrals by bolstering training in classroom management.
Nirvi Shah, October 30, 2012
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9 min read
Kenneth Thomas, a 7th grader, ponders a lesson in his PRIDE 101 class at Haut Gap Middle School. As part of the school’s approach to addressing behavior, all students take a course in how to be a Haut Gap student.
With a special class on behavior and a strategy known as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, a Charleston middle school has found a way to reduce suspensions.
Nirvi Shah, October 25, 2012
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10 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.
As criticism of school suspension grows, some schools turn to techniques aimed at teaching students to right their wrongs.
Nirvi Shah, October 16, 2012
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9 min read
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