Discipline Reform through the Eyes of Teachers

The public debate over discipline policy remains depressingly polarized and simplistic. Advocates of reform argue that suspensions and other forms of exclusionary discipline are associated with negative outcomes, including higher rates of criminal justice involvement--and that they are implemented unfairly. In contrast, skeptics argue that we must consider the interests of all students, not just those who misbehave, that schools depend on suspensions and the like to maintain order, and that the proposed alternatives are unproven and unrealistic. Because school discipline is so difficult to study, most of the research associated with the topic cannot be considered causal. Consequently, both advocates and critics of reform have often resorted to impassioned rhetoric. What they haven't done often enough since the discipline debate began is solicit input from the individuals with the most firsthand experience with discipline problems and the proposed solutions--namely, our teachers. Accordingly, this study asks a nationally representative sample of African American and white teachers in grade 3-12 classrooms what they think about school discipline. [Foreword and executive summary by Amber M. Northern and Michael J. Petrilli.]