This study examined the impact of a classroom-level component of The Inclusive Skill-building Learning Approach (ISLA), an instructional and restorative alternative to exclusionary discipline, on student behaviors and school discipline practices in middle schools. Intervention implementation, classroom observations, and all other data collection…

Negative student behaviors are a significant concern among teachers. Incorporating Proactive Classroom Management Practices (PCMPs) to prevent detrimental behaviors would benefit the learning environment. These practices promote academic engagement and limit the number of Office Disciplinary Referrals (ODRs). The purpose of this study was to…

Many schools use exclusionary discipline--such as suspensions and expulsions--to deter students from misbehaving and to protect students from the harms associated with exposure to student misbehavior. Research indicates that, while often implemented with good intentions, exclusionary discipline increases (rather than deters) misbehavior and risks…

This study examined the impact of a classroom-level component of The Inclusive Skill-building Learning Approach (ISLA), an instructional and restorative alternative to exclusionary discipline, on student behaviors and school discipline practices in middle schools. Intervention implementation, classroom observations, and all other data collection…

Restorative Practices is a social science that studies how to create, strengthen, and repair relationships. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the impact restorative practices have on the rate of out-of-school suspensions and office discipline referrals, as well as the perceptions educators, have regarding the…

Beginning in the early 1990s, many school districts began to implement zero-tolerance discipline policies that relied heavily on the use of suspensions. As a result, the number of students removed from the classroom and the school environment has dramatically increased over the past 30 years. To increase school safety and combat the rise of school…

Purpose: The purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to determine the primary reasons that students are assigned exclusionary discipline consequences. Another purpose involves ascertaining the degree to which differential consequences are present by student ethnicity/race in the discipline consequence assigned for the same misbehavior.…

Recent statistics suggest that student externalizing behaviors are increasing in Western and Asian countries; however, there is a paucity of research on teachers' perspectives of these behaviors in Middle Eastern countries. A mixed-methods research design was used to investigate Kuwaiti public elementary and middle school teachers' perceptions of…

This article provides an overview of single-case research design and how it can be used in concert with Improvement Science. Hypothetical examples of using single-case design to inform improvement efforts are provided, as is a discussion of connections between this methodology and Improvement Science. Resources for further study are also provided.

For more than forty years, the United States' public education system's "zero-tolerance" policies, and disciplinary practices rooted in those policies, have negatively impacted and marginalized minority students far greater than the general student body population. Over the years, nationwide studies have identified complex multifaceted…

This narrative study examined how the life experiences of high school administrators impact how they conceptualize and understand school discipline. These experiences were then positioned within the current context of COVID-19 pandemic related school closures and protests associated with George Floyd's death which brought light to systemic racism…

In 2023, teachers continued to experience reverberations from the COVID-19 pandemic. The closure of schools across the United States required the adaptation of classrooms and a dynamic shift in the practices of teachers. As the pandemic subsided, this project sought to understand the ways that instructional practice, interactions with students and…

A breadth of research explores gendered professional identities, practices and spaces across a range of UK educational institutions. One focus has been on links between gender, care and education in early years settings and primary schools, although less attention has been given to caring within secondary schools. Drawing on qualitative research…

Teachers at all educational levels and disciplines are leaving the profession at a rapid rate across the United States with numbers increasing since the COVID-19 pandemic. Retention tools and strategies are critical to the success of a school and school district. The purpose of this single case study was to explore urban high school principals'…

This essay provides a broad overview of adverse childhood experiences and their impact on the middle level learner. The author finds points of intersection between current research on traumatized students and tenets of the middle level philosophy to make the argument for trauma informed practices that holistically serve young adolescents.