Transcript Slide 1

Understanding suspension and
expulsion as a comprehensive
educational process:
The role of risk and resilience factors
Gale M. Morrison
Gevirtz Graduate School of Education
Acting Dean, Graduate Division
University of California, Santa Barbara
School Disruption: What to do?

School personnel are faced with the complex challenge of
meeting the diverse educational and social needs of all
children, while maintaining safe and orderly campuses.

An increasingly prevalent response to students who may
disrupt the learning environment is school suspension or
expulsion.

Students with Special Needs are over-represented in the
group of students disciplined
The Problem with Zero-Tolerance
 Behavior has complex root causes.
 Punishment may not fit the full context of crime.
 Due process may be violated.
 Actual actions may not be fairly applied (minority
and special education overrepresentation).
 Educational opportunities are taken away (loss of
units, access to full curriculum).
 Educational effectiveness is questionable.
Problematic consequences of a
punitive disciplinary process
 Interferes with the need to develop strong and
trusting relationships with adults
 Interferes with the need to form positive attitudes
about fairness and justice
 Intensifies troubling behaviors
 Contributes to academic and eventual school failure
Discipline as a Process
 School discipline is a process not merely an event
Variations before and after the “event” make
generalizations about school expulsion hard to make
 When a student commits a punishable offense, often not
a surprise in the context of student’s developmental
history
 Many of these students appear to have difficulties with
school and family adjustment
 Also need to take into account the school and
community context
 E.g., changes in zero-tolerance attitudes connected to
current events.

Views of School Discipline
 Setting standards for student
behavioral expectations
 A process for preventing
school violence and disruption
 Due process for school
removal
Discipline is a process where we can exit or
maintain challenging students
Prevention
Tolerance levels
Reaction to early behavioral transgressions
Interventions offered
Application of institutional sanctions
Alternative education
Support upon return
What are the risk and protective
opportunities (possibilities) when
dealing with challenging behavior?
Prevention
PROTECTIVE POSSIBILITIES
RISK
• lack of graduated
discipline strategy
• exclusive emphasis on
academics
• school-wide positive behavior
•
•
•
•
support
clear expectation and consistent
follow-through
staff agree and are trained
student engagement in curriculum
social skill development
TOLERANCE
RISK
PROTECTIVE POSSIBILITIES
• low teacher tolerance
• broad norms for behavior
• untrained yard “dooties” • ways of corralling extra
• immediate principal
“energy”
referral
• willingness to switch teachers
• low structure
• parent communication
• quick trigger
• community advocacy
Problem arises:
How do school personnel react?
Teacher/Classroom
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RISK
Extreme reactions to
small transgressions
Punish academic
nonperformance
Out to principal’s
office--Office sitting
Out to janitor
Out to special
education
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PROTECTION
Graduated process
Caring, respectful
responses
Engaging every child in
the learning process
Behavior Plan
Switch teachers
Where’s the behavior plan??
“Out to Special Education”
Student/Service Trajectory
Discipline
1st
Service Efforts
Comments
2 SST’s
Bilingual Educ.
43 absences in
K.
2nd
In-school suspension
2 SST’s
IEP--SLD-RSP
Trouble reading
Temper at home
14 absences
3rd
Office referrals
Continue Special Educ.
Not completing
homework
4th
Office referrals
Continue Special Educ.
5th
Office referrals
3 day suspension
Continue Special Educ.
Start after-school
program for “at-risk”
Trouble with
behavior and
attention
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 When suspensions go down?
 When suspensions go up?
Contrast of Principal Styles and
Suspension Rates
25
20
Principal 1
Principal 2
15
10
5
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Number of students Number of incidents
Number of days
Suspension Metrics
 Incidents vs. Students
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Repeat Offenders
Small % account for many offenses
Misbehavior widespread?
 Types of offenses?
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Seriousness
Local Practice
Use of categories – general disruption +
 Total #, # days suspended
System changes
•Change in administration
•Change in student population
•Change in discipline practices
Problem arises:
How do school personnel react?
Principal/School
PROTECTION
RISK
Knee-jerk application of
Use discretion within the process
institutional consequences
No graduated response
Treatment perceived as
disrespectful
Think big/call in the troops
Meds
System of positive behavioral
support
Caring, respectful, problem-solving
response
“Triage
Discipline
Student/Service Trajectory
Service Efforts
Comments
1st
Office referrals
Learned to read, was
a pleasure in class
2nd
Office referrals
1SST
Motivation questioned
Step-dad situation
3rd
Office referrals
1 SST
Dental services
Summer school
Self-control
Mom locks in closet
for discipline
4th
Office referrals
2 SST’s--ADHD?
Dental services
Summer school
Speech services
Follower
Dropped from afterschool program
5th
Office referrals
3 day
suspension
1 SST, IEP, speech, no Trouble with behavior
discrepancy
and attention
Get mentor
Has cousins in gangs
What are the offenses?
RISK
 Hot button issues—
vulgarity, sexual
harassment, bullying
 Entry of academic
non-production as an
offense
PROTECTION
 Schoolwide
conversation and
agreement on norms
of behavior
 Extent to which
school can hold to
these agreements
under public
pressure
What official disciplinary option is applied?
Who benefits from the application
of this action?
PROTECTION
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RISK
No advocate for student
Suspension does not work
Expulsion may lead to musical
schools
Reintegration is done without
support
Perception of fairness damaged
 In-school suspension with a
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curriculum, a purpose
Alternative schooling options—
with a curriculum, a purpose
Change in school may allow for
a clean slate
Change in school may allow for
change in peer group
Opportunity to re-engage
parents and students
Alternative Education
RISK
• exclusion sans curriculum
PROTECTIVE POSSIBILITIES
• substantive curriculum
• numerous options
Lesson’s Learned at
Suspension School
Put kid essay here
Return to Mainstream
RISK
PROTECTIVE POSSIBILITIES
 Individualized support and
monitoring
 No transition support
plan
Intervention Wisdom?
 Discuss understandings/norms for
“misbehavior”
 Discuss appropriate consequences
 Do Schoolwide Positive Behavior
Support
 Standardize data collection
Intervention Wisdom
 Does suspension work?
 Why suspend?
 Unintended consequences of
suspension
 What are the understandings that arise
from suspension?
 Alternatives?
Intervention Wisdom
 Target
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Early academic success
Peer cultures that reinforce academic effort
Talk about goals, future, what it will take
Supervision at home
Recommendations:
Zero-Tolerance
 1. Replace zero tolerance policies with a
reasoned and appropriate approach to school
discipline.
 2. Support and implement comprehensive
prevention programs to enhance the protective
nature of schools.
 3. Develop alternative discipline strategies
should to replace school expulsion— Offer
educational options when expulsion be
necessary.
Recommendations:
Zero-Tolerance
Develop clear policies and procedures for
school expulsion and support the accuracy of
reporting procedures.
 4.
 5. Encourage and expand the research interest
in expulsion practices and its impacts.
 6. Adopt Zero-Reject
School Discipline
…a kinder, gentler approach?
“A meaningful approach to school discipline is one that
 treats students and their families with respect throughout
the process,
 seeks to learn from students and to nurture their learning
and growth as human beings, and
 that find ways to bring students more deeply into the
school community” (Civil Rights Project Report, p. 15).