Background: The school system is one of many possible protective factors that prevent or mitigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which are events that occur before the age of 18 that may be traumatic, such as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. Training school personnel in trauma-informed practice (TIP) should decrease…

In recent decades, K-12 school discipline policies and practices have garnered increasing attention among researchers, policymakers, and educators. Disproportionalities in school discipline raise serious questions about educational equity. This study provides a comprehensive review of the extant literature on the contributors to racial, gender,…

The Authoritative School Climate Survey was designed to provide schools with a brief assessment of 2 key characteristics of school climate--disciplinary structure and student support--that are hypothesized to influence 2 important school climate outcomes--student engagement and prevalence of teasing and bullying in school. The factor structure of…

The Virginia Board of Education's "Student Conduct Policy Guidelines" were first developed in 1994 in response to action by the 1993 General Assembly requiring the Virginia Board of Education to establish such guidelines. In 2004, the "Guidelines" underwent a major revision in response to requirements of § 22.1-279.6. of the…

Virginia sued the U.S. Department of Education over withdrawal of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act funding in a dispute involving discipline of a disabled student. Disciplinary safeguards for students with disability-related misconduct are well established by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in "Honig v. Doe." Congress…

In its 2003 report, School Survey on Crime and Safety, the National Center on Education Statistics (NCES) found that, during the 1999-2000 school year, 29% of schools reported having more difficulty with student bullying than with any other single discipline problem. A similar 2004 NCES report, Indicators of School Crime and Safety, found that, in…

This report contains the keynote presentations and small-group discussion reports of the Virginia Conference on Disruptive Youth, sponsored by the Virginia State Department of Education. Keynote speeches covered such topics as the relationship between disruptive students and Virginia public schools, causes of delinquency, discipline measures…