The Issues: Classroom Discipline

Adults often tend to think the younger generation doesn’t abide by or have respect for the rules.  The policies the school board puts in place might help teachers maintain a better learning environment. 

Today’s question (from a reader): I would like to know how the candidates for school board feel about classroom discipline.

:  I have pushed to have a Dean of Students at the high school and I am pleased that we will be posting for this position soon.

Classroom discipline should be equally enforced. I know students that say some teachers don’t enforce discipline. We need to look into that and the reasons why.
I know a couple of elementary schools and the middle school are using the setting limits program with success. I would like to have funds to provide the training for all the sites.

Disruptions and rudeness in the classroom make for a poor learning day. 
First step: classroom teacher has rules in place, perhaps visible generalized signs that assist as reminders of expectations. 
A second step: small group and mixed group discussions led by student organizations which focus on assisting group interactions in positive way. 
Third: a strictly adhered to referral system, with communication system available for any intolerable persistant behavior or emergency. 
Fourth: administrative action which is consistent and clear for student and staff.  Currently the hiring plan is to have an administrative staff person on the high school campus who will share responsibility for problem students on campus.
Classroom teachers with chronic discipline weakness, need support and additional training to maintain better student contact and safety.  To my knowledge, this is not currently a staff training program. Problem classroom behaviors, overall, show up in elementary grades and tend to carry through into middle school.  The time to assist and "re-program" kids is in elementary school, before the problems become less manageable and "ingrained" . Parental involvement, counseling (which we have cut some for budget reasons) and special classes (like Community Day School) are all part of the current process for corrective actions.

The School Board is responsible for creating policy to guide and encourage effective and ethical forms of classroom discipline.  As a Board, we should be concerned with the macro details of classroom management; such as, whether punishment is handed down disparately according to race or income, whether we have an over-reliance on suspension as a management tool, and monitoring the effectiveness of discipline programs being utilized.  Teachers and administrators, however, should be empowered to use their professional expertise to problem solve and implement day-to-day management techniques for their own site.  Whether to use a “Blurt Box” at an elementary level or an in-house suspension program at the high schools, is a site level decision.  Efficacy, rather than method, is what should be monitored by the School Board.