Discipline in Education

November 11, 2015

Discipline in Education

Our presentation focused on the historical perspectives, popular trends, and current behavioral approaches of discipline in schools. Discipline is one of the most pressing issues in education. School discipline and behavior management are issues that every school administrator and teacher deals with on a daily basis.

 It has inherently been an important part of the educational system since the very first schools and institutions. The methods of enforcing and maintaining school discipline have changed over time in conjunction with the changing opinions, research, and inspections of the topic.

Corporal Punishment was the earliest form of school punishment. It was present in Ancient years and can still be seen in some states. During the middle of the 19th century, educators began to study European models that suggested that learning occurred best with encouragement and kindness. At the beginning of the 20th century, good discipline looked like students sitting quietly while they learned by rote. Dr. Benjamin Spock, who disapproved of rigid child-rearing techniques, challenged this model.  B. F. Skinner advocated for immediate praise, feedback, and/or rewards when seeking to change behaviors. One of B.F. Skinner’s biggest critics was Alfie Kohn who supported intrinsic motivation. Lee & Marlene Canter were the founders of Assertive Discipline, which relies upon the idea of an assertive teacher taking charge of a class and positive reinforcement  balanced with immediate and fair punishment for misbehavior. Starting in the 1990’s schools adopted “get tough” philosophies of discipline: increased suspensions, expulsions, school arrests and zero tolerance policies. But, after 20 years, extensive reviews of the literature by researchers and professional organizations found NO EVIDENCE that increasing suspensions and expulsions improves student behavior or school safety. In fact, students with disabilities and students of color are generally suspended and expelled at higher rates than their peers. After the failure of zero-tolerance policies, discipline and classroom management began to emphasize strategies that build a positive school climate.

Evidence-based, multi-tiered behavioral frameworks, such as positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), can help improve overall school climate and safety. Interventions, school-wide and individual, that use proactive, preventative approaches, address the underlying cause or purpose of the behavior, and reinforce positive behaviors, have been associated with increases in academic engagement, academic achievement, and reductions in suspensions and school dropouts. Alternatives to traditional and historical discipline methods include Responsive Classroom, Developmental Assets, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), social/emotional curriculums such as Second Step, and  intervention strategies including character education, bullying prevention, peer mediation, and conflict resolution.