Prevention Means Doing It Differently: Applying An Evidence-Based Model to School Discipline

1. Prevention Means Doing It Differently: Applying An Evidence-Based Model to School Discipline Russell Skiba Equity Project at Indiana University Presented at the Protective Schools Revisited Symposium Tucson, AZOctober 21, 2008

2. Evidence Based Practice • Integration of the best available research with practice • Implies rigorous research tests of interventions • Systematic reviews, effect sizes, statistical/clinical significance, body of supporting evidence • “Gold Standard” for new interventions • But what about current practice?

3. The APA Zero Tolerance Task Force • 2005: Commissioned to “examine and make recommendations regarding the development andd implementation of Zero Tolerance policies in elementary and secondary schools.” • Provide recommendations for implementing ZT policies “in ways to benefit children as opposed to inflicting damage upon them.” • Approved by Council: August 9, 2006

4. Questions Addressed 1. Have zero tolerance policies made schools safer and more effective in handling disciplinary issues? 2. What has been the impact of ZT on students of color and students with disabilities? 3. To what extent are zero tolerance policies developmentally appropriate as a psychological intervention, taking into account the developmental level of children and youth?

5. Questions Addressed (Cont’d) 4. How has zero tolerance affected the relationship between education and the juvenile justice system? 5. What has been the impact—both negative and positive—of zero tolerance policies on students, families and communities? 6. Are there other disciplinary alternatives that could make a stronger contribution toward maintaining school safety or the integrity of the learning environment, while keeping a greater number of students in school?

6. Question 1: Safer and More Effective? • Assumption: Removal of students who violate rules creates more conducive learning climate for the rest. • More removal = Less satisfactory climate and governance • Emerging evidence of negative r between exclusionary discipline and achievement

7. Percent Passing ISTEP by School Disciplinary Use (Adjusted for Demographic and Economic Indicators)

8. Question 1: Safer and More Effective? • Assumption: Swift and certain punishments of ZT have deterrent effect, improving student behavior and discipline. • Predicts higher future rates of misbehavior & discipline • Long term relationship with dropout, failure to graduate on time

9. Question 2: Impact of Zero Tolerance on Students of Color & With Disabilities • Assumption: By removing subjective, contextual factors, will be more fair to all students. • Black students suspended 2-3x as frequently • Studies since find disproportionality in: • Office referrals • Suspension & Expulsion • Corporal Punishment

10. Alternative Explanations of Disciplinary Disproportionality • Disproportionality is related to SES • SES and disproportionality correlate, but… • Effects of race remain after control • Do black students misbehave more? • No supporting evidence • May in fact be treated more severely for same offenses

11. White students referred more for: Smoking Vandalism Leaving w/o permission Obscene Language Black students referred more for: Disrespect Excessive Noise Threat Loitering What Behaviors are Students Referred For? By Race Of 32 infractions, only 8 significant differences:

12. What Might Be Causing Disciplinary Disproportionality? • Doesn’t appear to be related to AA enrollment • Perhaps correlated with overuse of suspension and expulsion • May originate at classroom level • No differences at office level (Skiba et al., 2002) • “Violations of implicit interactional codes” (Vavrus & Coles, 2002)

13. Disproportionality in Discipline: Students with Disabilities • Students with disabilities over-represented • 11-14% of population • App. 20-24% of suspensions • Do students with disabilities misbehave more? • GAO: Principals say yes • Data analyses: No differences

14. Question 6: Are There Alternatives to Disciplinary Removal? • Creating the Climate • Bullying Prevention • Conflict Resolution/Life Skills • Classroom Management • Early Identification/Intervention • Threat Assessment • Mentoring, Anger Management • Effective Responses • In-School Alternatives • Functional Assessment • Restorative Justice

15. What Do Effective Principals Do? • No compromise on discipline “We will not put up with misbehavior. …You are here to learn and we’re going to do everything we can to provide the proper education. Your teachers are here to work with you. We’re doing everything we can to support you but then again we will not deal with any misbehaviors. That’s the bottom line. If you hit somebody you’re going to be suspended.”

16. Clarify Expectations and Train in Behavior Management “Once you send a child to the office as a classroom teacher you give up a part of your control over that child. It sends a message to the child that you know you really don’t have control... So I think as a school we’ve come to realize that it’s a lot better to handle the discipline within the team [of teachers] if we can because that sends a message to the student that the team has control.”

17. Teach Appropriate Skills through Preventive Programs “There are 17 or so character values. Respect, cooperation, honesty, perseverance, caring, courage… our staff members have embraced it and you see it everywhere. You see it in the hallways. You see it on bulletin boards. You see it in the classrooms. The teachers take time to talk about those life skills… and then you begin also embedding this in your curriculum … what you end up having are kids who are very respectful to one another, that are willing to work cooperatively.”

18. Communicate and Collaborate with Parents “[Teachers] know that if they send someone to the office, we shouldn’t be the first one to contact the parents about the problems the kids is having.” “I have very few parents who get upset with me because a lot of times we’ve done a lot of interventions … There’s no surprises. And I have to think the parents appreciate that through the entire process they’ve been part of it.”

19. Communication & Connection: All Students “Communication is really stressed, we’re increasing email, they do newsletters, really chatting, we have input forms [from parents]. I think it’s part of the culture of the building” “Every time he [the principal] has the student body together he reminds them that if there is anything out there that’s lingering that’s dangerous to make sure that you bring it forward. He is just continually impressing upon the kids how important communication is.”

20. Communication & Connection: At Risk or Alienated Students “We look to intervene early if we see some things that are developing. We worked really hard helping teachers identify internalizers as well as externalizers…This isn’t a way of identifying a student. Its more like trying to predict the problem and prevent it.” “And all we asked was that an adult would meet with these kids once a week…I would have lunch with this child and we would play chess and we would talk and he would share things that were going on in his life…We saw that were making progress with these kids because really a lot of these kids didn’t have anyone who really took an interest in them.”

21. The SRS Philosophy: Increase Resources to Decrease Exclusion • Safe and Responsive Schools • 3 Year USDOE Grant • Teaching schools to develop comprehensive needs-based approaches to school violence prevention

22. Keys to School Reform: A Structure for Change • School Teams • Teachers, parents, administrators, students • Key Representatives of School Community • Needs Assessment • Building the Knowledge Base • Strategic Planning

23. The importance of added resources: I just think that we work harder with individual students towards keeping them in school, and keeping them from dropping out or being expelled. I think that there are other options now that we look at and there’s a larger range of opportunities for them to remain in school. HS Teacher

25. APA Task Force Recommendations: Reducing Suspension/Expulsion • Implement a Graduated Set of Consequences • Teach alternative ways of getting along • Improve communication and connection w/ students, parents • Increasing available options

26. APA Recommendations:Reducing Disciplinary Disproportionality • Teacher Training in Classroom Behavior Management • Reducing Cultural Mismatch • Avoid One-Size-Fits-All Discipline • Use Data to Transform

27. The Difficulty of Talking About Race “When you say minorities, are you, what are you speaking of?...[INTERVIEWER: Ethnic and racial minorities]...Oh....OK...Alright...We have like...I guess we have about half and half. I don’t know that I’ve ever really paid attention to it .” --Classroom Teacher

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29. Perspectives on Katrina: Washington Post/ABC News Poll, 9/13/05

30. "Adolescents play pranks. I don’t think it was a threat against anybody.”--Roy Breithaupt, Superintendent, Jena Public Schools

31. “[The noose] meant the KKK, it meant 'We're going to kill you, we're gonna' hang you 'til you die.'” --Caseplia Bailey, Parent of one of Jena 6 students

32. What is Our Theory? Poverty? Deficits in classroom management? Negative community influences? Lack of cultural competence? Negative peer culture? Historical discrimination?

33. Issues of EBP in Practice • What counts as “quality evidence”? • Who has the “burden of proof”? • Moving towards evidence-based practice • “Successive approximations” • Are we doing the right thing for our kids? How do we know?

34. Websites: • APA Zero Tolerance Report • http://www.apa.org/ed/cpse/zttfreport.pdf • Equity Project at Indiana University • ceep.indiana.edu/equity • Children Left Behind • ceep.indiana.edu/ChildrenLeftBehind