Dive Brief:
- Instead of solitary or group detention, students being punished in some schools are now being engaged with teacher or peer-led coaching, conflict resolution and guided reflection time.
- This is part of a trend where more schools are starting to experiment with approaches to student behavioral correction that seem to be more effective in reducing unwanted behavior.
- A reformed approach to correction and detention may also have the consequence of reducing the number of students of color who enter the school-to-prison pipeline, District Administration reports.
Dive Insight:
By rewarding good behavior instead of solely punishing bad, educators are using a proven tactic for better behavior by students. Rewards can include play money or praise, and the alternative approach to discipline can reveal deeper issues with emotional health, academics or home life, District Administration reports. That kind of holistic approach is also gaining steam when it comes to classroom instruction, as well. Encouraging mindfulness and reflection can also be part of a restorative justice approach to discipline.
Other schools have tried novel approaches that include “reverse suspension,” in which a student's parent is required to spend a day by their child's side after he or she misbehaves, in lieu of an out-of-school suspension. A Stanford University research study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences proved a correlation existed between the levels of empathy and compassion from teachers and a reduction in harsh disciplinary tactics like suspensions, and various studies have shown "soft" and understanding approaches to discipline often succeed.