This data point highlights state policy permitting or prohibiting the use of corporal punishment. Corporal punishment is permitted in at least 18 states, is prohibited in at least 27 states and the District of Columbia, and at least five states did not specify their policy in statute or regulation. Of the minimum 18 states where it is permitted,…

At least 37 states and the District of Columbia outline alternatives to suspension/expulsion or non-punitive supports that are either available or encouraged. Commonly cited approaches include community service, conflict resolution, counseling, peer mediation, positive behavioral interventions, restitution and restorative justice. This data point…

The school effectiveness movement stresses a safe and orderly learning environment for students. Concern for students' and parents' legal rights, coupled with recent criticism of school practices regarding corporal punishment, suspension, and expulsion, has spawned research into theoretical, practical, and legal implications related to pupil…

This paper compares data collected in a 1974 survey of discipline problems in Georgia secondary schools with data from a similar survey conducted by the same investigators in 1961. The 1961 survey examined 20 types of student misbehavior that had been identified in earlier studies; the 1974 survey included those 20 plus 13 additional items. The…

This paper describes a program that was developed and implemented to define better the incidents used by a rural school district to report school violence to the state. The program was also designed to decrease the use of out-of-school suspension by 90 school administrators in this Florida district. Some of the strategies used for the program…

This document contains findings of a study that examined the relationship between the use of disciplinary actions in Florida schools--in particular, out-of-school suspension, expulsion, and corporal punishment--and juvenile crime and delinquency. The primary data source was a random sample of 43,397 students in grades 6-12 enrolled in Florida…

A survey of 339 teachers (grades K-12) found lack of motivation and poor parental support to be the biggest discipline problems. Nearly 90 percent worked with a stated/written discipline policy. Approximately 75 percent believed that corporal punishment should continue. Verbal reprimands were the most common behavior change method used. (VW)