Reimagining School Discipline
In public school systems where exclusionary discipline, such as suspensions and expulsions, is still widely used (see Figure 1), an increasing number of educators are shifting away from punitive consequences and toward the use of positive behavior strategies and a restorative approach to unexpected or maladaptive behaviors. Building relationships and community accountability go hand in hand with creating and reinforcing behavior expectations. Many schools and districts have invested time, money, and resources into PBIS and restorative practices. Is this enough?
Figure 1. Percent of K-12 students who were disciplined in public schools, by sex and race/ethnicity
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 2020-21 Civil Rights Data Collection, released November 2023, available at https://civilrightsdata.ed.gov and Student Discipline and School Climate in U.S. Public Schools.
In its Guiding Principles for Creating Safe, Inclusive, Supportive, and Fair School Climates report, the U.S. Department of Education explains that “by expanding policies to include positive actions and high expectations, along with requiring the use of a continuum of supports to increase student success, states and districts can shift the focus of their disciplinary practices to promote a positive and supportive school environment focused on supporting students and keeping them in the classroom learning as much as possible.”
It is clear that staff training alone does not ensure the implementation of responsive discipline. It is an important first step, but those practices and structures need to live within a Multi-Tiered System of Support to ensure consistency, sustainability, and fidelity. Guidelines that maintain restorative beliefs around discipline and guide how discipline is addressed administratively are needed. These guidelines at the district or site level would provide consistency in responses, opportunities for intervention, and a reduction in disproportionate outcomes.
The Discipline Guidelines
All behavior is communication! As educators, we need to design guidelines that are responsive to the needs being communicated. The responses and the interventions districts put in place to support skill development can increase student success in all environments. We also need to reimagine the meaning and purpose of discipline with the ultimate goal of equity and intervention for behavioral change.
On this basis, we believe that there are five distinct areas of work that together make a strong foundation for healthy and successful discipline guidelines:
Establish a collective system definition of "Discipline" and a collective set of "values" that will drive the discipline guidelines (i.e., moving from individual values that drive disciplinary responses to collective, system values)
Explore current discipline structures and enhance them by creating restorative approaches to behavior with less punitive actions.
Develop a menu of tiered restorative interventions and responses, along with clarity on when to apply each type.
Support site/district teams with tools and resources to build discipline guidelines for full implementation.
Communicate the work with all educational partners.
Developing discipline guidelines will ensure accountability for the school community’s values and beliefs regarding discipline. Discipline guidelines will also provide a structure for administrative response to behavior, thus allowing consistency with responsive practices such as restorative practices, positive behavior strategies, and/ or PBIS.
A structured framework to support responsive practices makes an investment of resources more worthwhile by enhancing efficiency, consistency, and accountability. In the end, it makes it easier to achieve the desired outcome – a positive school culture and a sense of belonging for ALL students.
Ricki Shankland, M.Ed.
Director of Consulting Services
Our experienced consultants can support the needs of your schools and districts through professional development training workshops, coaching sessions, and ongoing systems support. Check out our Responsive Discipline Services or Contact Us to request a free consultation.
