One explanation for unexpectedly low stress levels among assistant principals may lie in "administrative attribution theory." The demand for school discipline by the public, school boards, teachers, and students should induce high levels of stress in assistant principals, because they are usually responsible for discipline enforcement,…

In the United Kingdom, exclusion from school is the most serious sanction a school can use in response to disruptive behavior. There has been continuing concern about the rising numbers of exclusions in the United Kingdom as a whole; however, little has been known about the situation in Scotland. This report presents findings of a study that…

Findings from indepth studies of discipline policies in three middle schools are summarized. Although all the schools were in a single urban district, significant differences were identified among them. The written policies of each school varied in the elaboration and emphasis of various themes in district policy, and the schools varied in the…

Administrators can use the strategies described in this article to encourage the development of self-discipline in their students without using punishments or training students to be conformists. Teachers who need help maintaining student discipline can be identified in several ways, including through analysis of disciplinary referrals. Class…

Parental attitudes toward rewards for student behavior and academic achievement as well as toward corporal punishment were assessed. The sample consisted of 195 parents from northern Mississippi. University students administered the anonymous questionnaire. Among the results was that 75 percent queried would not approve teachers being allowed to…

This precis focuses on research into the problem of school discipline. The school culture, or the atmosphere and tone of everything that happens in the school, is seen as having a significant influence on student behavior. Several examples of improving the culture of schools are given. Strategies for correcting misconduct are suggested, with…

Over the past 5 years, McKnight Middle School in Renton, Washington, has instituted a new discipline policy, integrated a study skills program throughout the curriculum, upgraded the curriculum, created several reward and recognition policies for both students and teachers, and increased parent and district involvement. The discipline policy…

During the past ten years, many school districts have established alternative schools or programs for students who are seriously disruptive and academically unsuccessful. This bulletin describes five different types of alternative programs that have been effective in dealing with disruptive youth. They include the Tri-C Community Centered…

This document provides brief descriptions of 12 prevention strategies, 6 curriculum-based strategies, and 7 motivational strategies for improving student behavior. Alternative schools and programs, counseling, parent involvement, community involvement, student orientation programs, learning styles, writing activities, student codes of conduct,…

For many students in the 1990s, school is no longer a safe environment in which they feel free to learn. This brief is intended to dispel myths about peer sexual harassment and clarify the new realities of the phenomenon in schools. The brief also conveys the message that school administrators have a duty to foster a school environment based on…

Practical guidelines are presented for implementing a discipline policy at the local level for students with disabilities, with suggestions for distinguishing policies affecting students in general and students with disabilities. Emphasis is placed on emerging issues and practical consequences. Relevant federal and state court decisions are cited,…

In 1977, a Behavior Modification Clinic was established at William A. Wirt High School in Gary (Indiana) as an alternative to suspending disruptive youth. The clinic operates with two programs--a remedial academic instruction program in five basic subjects, and a counseling component in which all students are involved. The results of the clinic…

This theme issue focuses on programs and strategies aimed at developing crime-free, nonviolent, drug-free schools. "Alternative Education Programs: Resolution or Exclusion?" (Albert Cortez) describes alternative education programs mandated by Texas state legislation for serious student offenders, and related issues of assessment, due…

Recent research is beginning to shed some light on the nature and extent of violence and crime in American schools, the role that schools themselves play in producing, aggravating, or reducing school crime, and how changes in the schools can remedy social control problems. Data from these studies indicate that: (1) despite public opinion, school…

This publication presents a system of proactive classroom management for use in elementary school, grades K-6. Characteristics of the proactive concept are described as: (1) planning for prevention rather than reaction to behavior problems; (2) considering the classroom as a total process of facilitating achievement as well as appropriate…