Discipline Resources

Disparities in the use of school discipline by race, gender, and sexual orientation have been well-documented and continue to place large numbers of students at risk for short- and long-term negative outcomes. (Carter et.al, 2014)

The MSAN Disproportionality in School Discipline Working Group has worked over the past several years to identify resources and best practices for eliminating racial disproportionality in school discipline.

We have broken our work into four main areas:

1. Overview of Discipline Disproportionality
2. Culturally Responsive PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports)
3. Alternatives to Suspension
4. Restorative Justice/Restorative Practices
   
   

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Discipline Disproportionality Overview

• US Department of Education Information on School Climate and Discipline. Includes the following sections: Know the Data; Know the Law; Support School Staff; Federal Efforts
  

• This document is an overview of briefs and research papers with targeted recommendations from the Discipline Disparities Research-to-Practice Collaborative Series, housed at Indiana University and funded by Atlantic Philanthropies and Open Society Foundations. See also the collaborative briefing paper from the collaborative entitled “You Can’t Fix What You Don’t Look At: Acknowledging Race in Addressing Racial Discipline Disparities”
  

• The Diversity Responsive Principal Tool is linked here with permission from Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center
  
• A paper for school leaders by Willis D. Hawley and Rebecca Wolf describing characteristics of schools that are likely to be particularly successful in facilitating the learning of racially and ethnically diverse students.
  
• Witnessing Change: Understanding and Addressing Disparities in School Discipline 2014 MSAN Institute keynote address by Russell Skiba, Ph.D. of the Equity Project at Indiana University
  
• The School Discipline Consensus Report presents a comprehensive set of recommendations to improve conditions for learning, better support students with behavioral needs, improve police-school partnerships, and keep students out of the juvenile justice system for minor offenses. A product of the School Discipline Consensus Project, a component of the Supportive School Discipline Initiative of the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice.
  

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Culturally Responsive Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS)

• PBIS Recommendations for Addressing Discipline Disparity five-point plan for addressing disproportionality within PBIS framework. From the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Technical Assistance Center.
  
• Moving PBIS Forward with Quality, Equity, and Efficiency. Presented by Buckeye Elementary School District, April 2016 MSAN Institute

• Looking for introductory information on PBIS? PBIS World and PBIS.org are resources for information on PBIS, the model for using Multi-tier System of Supports (MTSS) for behavior (as opposed to academics). The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) includes provisions to expand (MTSS) in states and school districts.
  

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Alternatives to Suspension

• Redford Union Schools Alternatives to Suspension Initiative document contains a menu of alternatives to suspension.
  
• Instead of Suspension document from Duke Universityreviews three types of approaches: programs that seek to improve the culture within an entire school; programs that teach professionals skills in behavior management and student discipline; and approaches that change the response of schools to misbehavior.
  
• In this report prepared for Loudoun County Public Schools, Hanover Research presents policies and practices designed to eliminate disparities in disciplinary outcomes for students by race and disability status. Following a review of the literature, Hanover presents in-depth profiles of disciplinary policies and practices used by Denver Public Schools and Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
• Alternatives to Suspension fact sheet from the Minnesota Department of Education
  

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Restorative Justice/Restorative Practices

• From the Schott Foundation: Restorative Practices: Fostering Healthy Relationships & Promoting Positive Discipline in Schools--A Guide for Educators

• International Institute for Restorative Practices Graduate School for proactively developing community, managing conflict, building relationships and increasing social capital
  
• SaferSanerSchools ™ a comprehensive two-year implementation model that is trnaforming school climate in districts across the country
  
• Restorative Justice in US Schools: a Research Review part of a larger effort of the WestEd Justice & Prevention Research Center (JPRC) focusing on Restorative Justice as an alternative to traditional responses to student misbehavior in schools across the United States
• Resources from Edutopia: guides for successful implementation, examples of successful programs, tips and resources, and research