This paper provides an exploration of a non-hierarchical model of discipline observed in one Secondary School in the North-East of England, that employed the whole-school use of Restorative Practice enhanced by vertically structured Coaching Groups. This model supported a school community characterised by working restoratively with others to…

The continual use of suspension and expulsion remains an unsettling concern for many educational stakeholders. With some guidance from the federal government, states have begun to address the issue of discipline disproportionality through policy reform that restrict the use of suspension and expulsion for certain student groups (e.g.,…

We hope this report will help to renew attention to the problem of excessive discipline. In keeping with this aim, we compare the projected full-year suspension rate for 2019-2020 to rates from prior years. We provide these projected suspension rates for the overall student population in California, and for every racial/ethnic subgroup at the…

This paper examines and compares national policies on school exclusion, using a specific framework for public policy analysis developed by Carol Bacchi [(2009). Analysing policy: What's the problem represented to be? Frenchs Forest: Pearson]. This framework is known as 'What's the problem represented to be?' or 'WPR'. Bacchi's framework has been…

Challenging student behavior is a concern for teachers and administrators across the United States, and the situation in West Virginia is no different. In response to these behaviors, principals often use an exclusionary approach to discipline, including detentions, suspensions, and expulsions. While research indicates a functional approach to…

Since the early 1990s, American schools adopted exclusionary sanctions such as zero-tolerance policies (ZTP) to reduce student misbehavior as well as to sustain school safety. Due to the punitive nature of ZTP, some schools have sought alternative discipline models, like the restorative practices, to manage student infraction. This mixed methods…

Teachers and administrators in an urban, suburban, and rural school district on the east coast of the United States faced challenges implementing effective discipline policy interventions to manage student misbehavior. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of educators about the challenges of implementing discipline…

The use of restorative practices to address college student behavior is a growing trend, but one about which few studies exist. While literature suggests how implementation of restorative practices can happen in the K-12 education setting, little is known about how student conduct practitioners should go about modifying their practices, policies,…

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to evaluate the readiness of educators to implement classroom discipline interventions and strategies after attending an equity-based professional development (PD) and identify effective action steps that address the disparity in discipline referrals towards students of color and sanctions through…

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experience of American conduct practitioners in their process of responding to reported racialized incidents. A diary method was used for participants to capture their experiences and interactions with the person(s) harmed and the offender. Of particular focus was the response of the…

Pursuant to 2019 Wisconsin Act 118, public school districts and private schools participating in the Special Needs Scholarship Program (SNSP) are required to report seclusion and restraint data for the preceding school year prior to December 1 each year. From September 2024 to December 2024, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI)…

The study explores journal citations from 104 doctoral dissertations in sociology from 2010 to 2021 at the Pennsylvania State University. A citation analysis of 10,395 journal citations explores journal use from three graduate degree programs in sociology. Journal use is based on the top 32 journals for concentration of citations (CitRank), number…

While a trans-disciplinary approach has been suggested within school science learning to facilitate the role of science education for societal development, lacking is a conceptualisation with respect to what trans-disciplinarity is, why it is needed, and how it can potentially be implemented in the classroom. In seeking to address this limitation,…

Discipline is a highly debated topic that is continuously evolving and plays a critical role in schools and how they function. There are many types of discipline that are currently being used in schools. School climate, an equally debated topic, is one of the most important factors related to student achievement and emotional well-being. There is…

Neoliberalism, after decades of reform, continues to steer educational policies around the world. As private enterprise encroaches public education, schools are held accountable, tangled up in an internationally competitive culture of achieving benchmarks that meet technically managed standards. Not only is it academic performance that is audited…