Nearly eighty percent of middle and high school teachers indicate that their students suffer because of “a few persistent troublemakers”—however, decades after the popularization of zero tolerance and exclusionary discipline in schools, research shows the need for more equitable and effective responses to misbehavior.
This report discusses seven research-backed practices to respond to student misbehavior and promote positive behavior at the middle school level. The report addresses the negative consequences of zero-tolerance, exclusionary discipline practices and offers these seven practices as alternatives.
Zero-tolerance discipline causes negative consequencesZero-tolerance discipline policies refer to policies that require predetermined, severe consequences, (e.g., suspension) for student misbehaviors, regardless of the context of the misbehavior. In 2008, the American Psychological Association (APA) found school violence levels have not changed despite the widespread implementation of zero-tolerance policies. In addition, research shows that minority students face more severe and frequent discipline consequences than their peers, with serious implications for the school-to-prison pipeline and achievement gaps.
Overburdened teachers resist discipline reformsSeventy-seven percent of middle school and high school teachers in one survey indicate that their students suffer because of “a few persistent troublemakers.” Though teachers understand the serious consequences of discipline practices such as suspension on the suspended student, they often assert that alternatives (e.g., school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, or PBIS) do not adequately preserve order in their classrooms. Therefore, this report profiles several actionable practices that administrators and…