School-Wide Reform and Discipline

School-Wide Reform and Discipline

Discipline issues have resulted in numerous Out-of-School Suspensions (OSS). School-wide reforms have been utilized to reduce these suspensions and even exclude students who misbehave from class. The reforms have attracted significant controversy. The high rate of OSS has negatively affected school performance, resulted in a higher dropout rate, and heightened criminal activities. Contrastingly, suspensions have been helpful in insulating other learners from the effects of disruption in the classroom (Postal, 2019). Additionally, suspensions have been aggressive and are associated with less effectiveness. Accordingly, studies indicate that relaxation of discipline has led to increased emotional intelligence, social skills development, better test scores, and more fulfilling relationships between teachers and students.

School discipline reforms

Institutions utilize diverse types of discipline in case of disorderly behaviours among students. One of the most common is suspension from school, which means students miss lessons (Gregory, Skiba, & Mediratta, 2017). The school’s principal issues such a suspension. Superintendents can also issue suspensions that last at least six days in more severe cases of indiscipline. In addition, students may be eliminated from a single classroom temporarily. When using the third method of discipline, the students can attend other classes except for the specific one they are suspended from. During the suspension, students attend classes in locations other than their school (Craig & Martin, 2021).

School reforms have been created and implemented to allow the administration to review the school’s response to misconduct among students (Steinberg & Lacoe, What Do We Know About School Discipline Reform? 2016). These reforms influence the punishments that are meted out to students who have engaged in any misconduct. The reason for pushing for these reforms is to reduce the adverse effects that suspensions and other aggressive methods have on minority students as well as learners with disabilities.

As earlier stated, the aggressive forms of discipline cause more students to drop out of school. The student’s performance is also negatively affected due to the constant class absences. Other students left in the classroom are also affected due to several disruptions by students leaving and rejoining the class. For these reasons, most schools are opting to scrap the suspensions and expulsions to mitigate the negative effects.

The novel approach enables the institutions to address the underlying issues that lead to misbehaviour and misconduct. The route enables the creation of long-term positive effects as students gain more discipline and become holistic. Some of the underlying causes for indiscipline in schools include peer pressure, poor parental care, overprotective guardians, drug abuse, inconsistent punishment, and peer pressure (Mwaniki, 2018). When institutions have the chance to address such issues, the students gain a holistic benefit that leads to a better citizenry (Ngwokabuenui, 2015). At the same time, the process alleviates the negative aspects of suspensions and expulsions.

As students access the means of addressing the underlying issues, they gain different skills. Emotional intelligence, as well as social abilities, are developed. Punishment is meant to facilitate the change of behaviours and promote acceptable behaviours. However, suspending or expelling a student makes them feel unwanted. On the contrary, sending a student to a school therapist due to misconduct allows them to understand their behaviours, repercussions, and causes (Valente, Lourenço, & Nemeth, 2020). This creates a gateway for addressing the issues with the help of qualified professionals and leads to emotional intelligence as the learners explain their issues. Moreover, they master social skills through communication, and they are sensitized to the need to speak up about issues instead of breaking the rules or misbehaving (Halpern & Scrom Law PLLC, 2019). As a result, the process yields positive and conscious behavioural change.

The student’s performance improves with the new school reforms. The discipline reforms intend to keep learners in the classroom (Halpern & Scrom Law PLLC, 2019). This means that they lose out on less time and classwork. They do not lag because they only leave a specific classroom temporarily. As a result, they can easily catch up on the lost lessons. This ensures that their performance is not affected negatively by punishment. As a result, students have the chance to improve their behaviours through change and maintain their positive performance. While increased attendance does not necessarily result in better achievement, it ensures that students have more or sufficient time to study and attend classes (Steinberg & Lacoe, 2018).

Surveys indicate that students have better relationships with their teachers when school-wide reforms are applied. The new discipline reforms make students feel respected and supported. This means they are more likely to speak to their teachers whenever they feel bothered. In addition, both teachers and students spend less time enforcing or avoiding punishments. Furthermore, students’ engagement increases when they perceive that management is less biased and more reasonable (D’Orio, 2018).

Conclusion

Studies indicate that relaxation of discipline has led to increased emotional intelligence, social skills development, better test scores, and more fulfilling relationships between teachers and students. Institutions that embrace the school reforms report sustained optimum performance due to improved class attendance. The students develop social skills and emotional intelligence. Furthermore, the institutions avert the negative effects that are associated with punitive disciplinary measures. Most importantly, it is possible to inspire a positive and conscious change in behaviours.

References

Craig, A. C., & Martin, D. C. (2021). Discipline Reform, School Culture, and Student Achievement.

D’Orio, W. (2018). Is School-Discipline Reform Moving Too Fast? The Atlantic.

Gregory, A., Skiba, R. J., & Mediratta, K. (2017). Eliminating Disparities in School Discipline: A Framework for Intervention. Sage Journals, 41(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X17690499

Halpern & Scrom Law PLLC. (2019). School Discipline Reform. Retrieved from Halpern & Scrom: https://www.halpernadvisors.com/school-discipline-reform/

Mwaniki, S. (2018). Students Indiscipline: A Reflection On The Causes Of Misbehavior Among Learners In Kenyan Secondary Schools. Global Journal of Advanced Research, 5(4), 171-177. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328289398_STUDENTS%27_INDISCIPLINE_A_REFLECTION_ON_THE_CAUSES_OF_MISBEHAVIOR_AMONG_LEARNERS_IN_KENYAN_SECONDARY_SCHOOLS

Ngwokabuenui, P. Y. (2015). Students Indiscipline: Types, Causes, and Possible Solutions: The Case of Secondary Schools in Cameroon. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(22), 64-72.

Postal, L. (2019). School Discipline Reform: Easier Said Than Done? Retrieved from https://www.ewa.org/blog-educated-reporter/school-discipline-reform-easier-said-done

Steinberg, M. P., & Lacoe, J. (2016). What Do We Know About School Discipline Reform? Education Next, 17(1).

Steinberg, M. P., & Lacoe, J. (2018). Reforming School Discipline: School-Level Policy Implementation and the Consequences for Suspended Students and Their Peers. American Journal of Education, 125(1). Retrieved from https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/699811

Valente, S., Lourenço, A. A., & Nemeth, Z. (2020). School Conflicts: Causes and Management Strategies in Classroom Relationships.

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Write an essay addressing whether school-wide reform can reduce discipline problems. The essay should be done with appropriate APA formatting and contain 5-10 current citations from peer-reviewed journals.