The growing debate over school discipline has led many educators and policymakers to question the value of punishments involving out-of-school suspensions and the existence of zero-tolerance policies. To help state education leaders address these issues, NASBE is partnering with several states to examine and reform disciplinary practices.
In July 2011, the Departments of Justice and Education launched the Supportive School Discipline Initiative to mobilize government, law enforcement, academic, and community leaders across the county to address the so-called school-to-prison pipeline. The initiative was spurred by the release of Breaking School Rules, a landmark report published by The Council of State Governments, which found among other facts, that 60 percent of middle and high school students were suspended or expelled at least once during their academic career. Findings from the 2012 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) report increased momentum toward reform as the public learned that minority and special education students face tougher disciplinary consequences than their peers.
School discipline is often overlooked as a critical component for academic success. However, state boards of education have unique opportunities to promote a safe and supportive learning environment for every student.
NASBE’s two-year project, Examining and Reforming State Disciplinary Policies from a State-Level Perspective, focuses on strengthening state boards’ capacity to adopt and implement state education policies that limit the use of suspension, expulsion and criminalization of students and instead emphasize supportive climate-building practices and more positive disciplinary measures.
This project is supported in part by Atlantic Philanthropies.