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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 1:14 am
Time: 1:14 am
Results for zero tolerance policies
6 results foundAuthor: Dahlberg, Robin L. Title: Arrested Futures: The Criminalization of School Discipline in Massachusetts' Three Largest School Districts Summary: On October 23, 2007, a 14-year-old boy at the Kennedy Middle School in Springfield, Massachusetts, was arrested after he refused to walk with a teacher to her office and instead returned to his classroom. According to the police report, he yelled at the teacher, bounced a basketball in a school hallway, failed to respond to a police officer’s request to go with the teacher and slammed his classroom door shut. He was subsequently taken into police custody, handcuffed, transported to the police station and charged with “disturbing a lawful assembly.” This incident illustrates a matter of growing concern to educators, parents and advocates: the extent to which the permanent on-site presence of police officers in public schools results in the criminalization of disruptive behavior. While other research has focused on zero-tolerance policies and the overuse of out-of-school suspension and expulsion as significant factors in feeding the “School-to-Prison Pipeline,” this report focuses on the additional problem of arrest, in particular the use of arrest to address behavior that would likely be handled in the school by school staff if not for the presence of on-site officers. Details: Boston: American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, Citizens for Juvenile Justice, 2012. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 3, 2012 at: Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 125137 Keywords: School Discipline (Massachusetts)School SafetyZero Tolerance Policies |
Author: Kang-Brown, Jacob Title: A Generation Later: What We've Learned about Zero Tolerance in Schools Summary: In considering different strategies for promoting productive and safe school environments, it can be difficult to know what works and what doesn't. In particular, longstanding debates about zero tolerance policies leave many people confused about the basic facts. How do these policies that mandate specific and harsh punishments affect individual students and the overall school environment? Have zero tolerance policies helped to create a school-to-prison pipeline as many people argue? And if the costs outweigh the benefits, are there alternatives to zero tolerance that are more effective? This publication aims to answer these questions by drawing on the best empirical research produced to date, and to identify the questions that remain unanswered. Most importantly, this publication strives to be practical. We believe that with a clearer understanding of the facts, policymakers and school administrators can join with teachers and concerned parents to maintain order and safety in ways that enhance education and benefit the public interest. Details: New York: Vera Institute of Justice, 2013. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: Issue Brief: Accessed January 27, 2014 at: http://www.vera.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/zero-tolerance-in-schools-policy-brief.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.vera.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/zero-tolerance-in-schools-policy-brief.pdf Shelf Number: 131807 Keywords: School CrimeSchool DisciplineSchool SuspensionsZero Tolerance Policies |
Author: Crenshaw, Kimberle Williams Title: Black Girls Matter: Pushed Out, Overpoliced, and Underprotected Summary: It is well-established in the research literature and by educational advocates that there is a link between the use of punitive disciplinary measures and subsequent patterns of criminal supervision and incarceration. Commonly understood as the "school-to-prison pipeline," this framework highlights the ways that punitive school policies lead to low achievement, system involvement, and other negative outcomes. Efforts to reverse the consequences of this pipeline have typically foregrounded boys of color, especially Black boys, who are suspended or expelled more than any other group. Against the backdrop of the surveillance, punishment, and criminalization of youth of color in the United States, Black Girls Matter: Pushed Out, Overpoliced, and Underprotected seeks to increase awareness of the gendered consequences of disciplinary and push-out policies for girls of color, and, in particular, Black girls.11 The report developed out of a critical dialogue about the various ways that women and girls of color are channeled onto pathways that lead to underachievement and criminalization. At the 2012 UCLA School of Law Symposium, "Overpoliced and Underprotected: Women, Race, and Criminalization,"12 formerly incarcerated women, researchers, lawyers, and advocates came together to address the alarming patterns of surveillance, criminal supervision, and incarceration among women and girls of color. The symposium was an effort to investigate the specific contours of race and gender in relationship to zero-tolerance policies, social marginalization, and criminalization. Details: New York: African American Policy Forum, Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies: 2015. 53p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 4, 2015 at: http://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/sites/default/files/uploads/BlackGirlsMatter_Report.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/sites/default/files/uploads/BlackGirlsMatter_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 134747 Keywords: Disproportionate Minority ContactMinority Youth (U.S.)Racial DisparitiesSchool CrimeSchool DisciplineSchool SuspensionsZero Tolerance Policies |
Author: Calero, Samantha Title: The Ruderman White Paper On The Problematization and Criminalization of Children and Young Adults with Non-Apparent Disabilities Summary: Unlike people with visible or apparent disabilities, people with non-apparent disabilities often don't receive the accommodations guaranteed to them under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Due to the "invisible" nature of disabilities like autism, Crohn's disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, dyslexia, or any number of mental illnesses, some behaviors that are a direct result of these disabilities are often seen in school contexts as laziness, inattention, disrespect or defiance. Instead of receiving legally due accommodations for their disabilities, students with non-apparent disabilities are disproportionately labelled problem students. In combination with zero tolerance policies at schools, these students are suspended at disproportionately high rates and ultimately criminalized. The result of this systemic discrimination is that over half of our incarcerated population has a mental illness and another 19-31% have a non-apparent disability, like cognitive or learning disabilities. Our jail and prison systems are effectively warehouses for people with non-apparent disabilities. This problematization and criminalization starts very young-even in preschool. Focus and Findings We examine in detail the disproportionate impact that the School-to-Prison Pipeline, and the Foster-Care-to-Prison Pipeline have on children and youth with non-apparent disabilities. While the effects of these Pipelines are well-known in regards to other minorities, we have found that people with disabilities are over-represented in all the minority groups traditionally impacted by this type of systemic discrimination. These findings suggest that the intersection between disability, in this case specifically non-apparent disability, is a significant factor in systemic discrimination. We also examined the role of trauma in the development of non-apparent disabilities. Trauma-survivors are more likely to develop mental illness and about 35% of them develop learning disabilities. This means that children who have Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are more likely to be caught up in the School-to-Prison Pipeline. And given that children are very often placed in foster care because of abuse or neglect, these findings about trauma also indicate some of the underlying causes in the Foster-Care-to-Prison Pipeline. To better illustrate the impact of this systemic injustice on individuals, we collected personal statements and vignettes from persons impacted by this discrimination. One contributor's words about these systems that work against our youth captured the injustice of it all very incisively: "... you feel like you're being punished when you haven't committed any crime." Conclusion This systemic violation of the rights of people with non-disabilities, not only impacts the individuals funneled into the to-Prison Pipelines, but disrupts and harms communities by having the stress and discrimination and incarceration burdening and separating families. The long-term consequences of incarceration are devastating given the high recidivism rate (almost 50%) and the lack of supports in place to re-integrate people, especially people with non-apparent disabilities, back into the community. Finally, this system of discrimination also hurts the wider community and tax payers given that it costs more than $140,000 a year to incarcerate a young person, and only about $10,000 to educate them. Therefore every one of us is impacted by this injustice in our communities and we must put an end to it. Disrupting the to-Prison Pipelines with more sensible school discipline policies, greater awareness raising, more support for trauma-survivors, more wide-spread testing for non-apparent disabilities, better supports and education of teachers and school resource officers are among the first steps we can and must take now. Details: Boston: Ruderman Family Foundation, 2017. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 28, 2018 at: http://rudermanfoundation.org/white_papers/criminalization-of-children-with-non-apparent-disabilities/ Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://rudermanfoundation.org/white_papers/criminalization-of-children-with-non-apparent-disabilities/ Shelf Number: 149863 Keywords: DisabilitiesDisabled PersonsSchool SuspensionsSchool-to-Prison-PipelineZero Tolerance Policies |
Author: Liu, John C. Title: The Suspension Spike: Changing the Discipline Culture in NYC's Middle Schools Summary: Research findings have established that a middle school pattern of even mild behavioral issues, either alone, or in conjunction with several other factors including absenteeism and academic performance in English and Mathematics, is an early warning that a student may be on the path to potentially dropping out of school. The Department of Education's current disciplinary approach, rooted in "zero-tolerance" philosophy, relies heavily on punitive measures, including suspensions, as a response to a wide array of behaviors. In the 2011- 2012 school year, more than 18,000 suspensions were meted out to students in grades 6 through 8 attending standalone middle schools. Yet, lengthy and repeated suspensions for disruptive behavior such as speaking disrespectfully to a teacher or fellow student result in lost learning days, contribute to students' feelings of alienation from school, and perhaps most importantly, do little or nothing to address the root causes of the behavior. Moreover, there are significant racial, ethnic, and other disparities in suspension rates. Maintaining a calm, respectful, and secure school climate is critical to the success of New York City's approximately 210,000 middle school students. Middle school is the last chance to "catch up" on both the academic and social-emotional skills needed to be successful in high school. Accordingly, concerns about improving New York City's middle school grades are well-deserved. Despite the myriad studies and good intentions, however, the middle school years have not received the same sustained focus and resources as educational reforms targeted at younger children. In particular, the interplay between school climate and behavioral issues and its relationship to academic achievement merits greater attention at a time when graduating from high school and pursuing post-secondary educational attainment is more important than ever. Violent, disruptive behavior that compromises the safe and supportive learning environment that all students deserve is not acceptable. The proposals in this report identify a range of positive approaches to promoting a safe and considerate learning environment for middle school students, teachers, and administrators that recognize the social-emotional and behavioral issues of this age group, particularly for students most at risk of eventually dropping out. A pilot program to introduce a whole-school climate change program based on the principles of restorative justice offers new tools for addressing and repairing the harm created by behavioral issues. Increasing the availability of school counselors and social workers would provide critical front-line support for struggling students. To advance these recommendations, system-wide changes should be made to the Department of Education's Discipline Code, the oversight of School Safety Agents, and the collection of data on suspensions and arrests. Details: New York: New York City Comptroller, 2013. 65p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 7, 2018 at: https://comptroller.nyc.gov/wp-content/uploads/documents/NYC_MiddleSchools_Report.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: https://comptroller.nyc.gov/wp-content/uploads/documents/NYC_MiddleSchools_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 150080 Keywords: Restorative JusticeSchool CrimeSchool DisciplineSchool SafetySchool SuspensionsZero Tolerance Policies |
Author: Anderson, Kaitlin P. Title: Do School Discipline Policies Treat Students Fairly? A Second Look at School Discipline Rate Disparities Summary: Since the early 1990s, many schools have adopted zero tolerance policies in response to fears of violence. This approach removes students from school for violations ranging from serious offenses like violent behavior to less serious offenses such as dress code violations or truancy (Losen & Skiba, 2010; Skiba, 2014; Skiba & Peterson, 1999;). While it may be necessary, in extreme cases, to remove a student from campus, many fear this movement has gone too far. Zero tolerance policies and exclusionary discipline such as expulsions and suspensions are associated with lower academic achievement (Beck & Muschkin, 2012; Raffaele-Mendez, 2003; Raffaele-Mendez, Knoff, & Ferror, 2002; Skiba & Rausch, 2004), school dropout (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2013; American Psychological Association, 2008; Ekstrom, Goertz, Pollack, & Rock, 1986), and involvement in the juvenile justice system (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2013; Balfanz, Spiridakis, Neild, & Legters, 2003; Fabelo et al., 2011; Nicholson-Crotty, Birchmeier, & Valentine, 2009). One particularly troubling by-product of the increased use of exclusionary discipline is the growing evidence that such disciplinary practices are employed disproportionately for students from marginalized groups. Numerous researchers have documented differences in suspension rates between White students and students of color (Anyon et al., 2014; Losen, Hodson, Keith, Morrison, & Belway, 2015; Losen & Skiba, 2010; Sartain et al., 2015; Skiba et al., 2014; Skiba, Michael, Nardo, & Peterson, 2002; Skiba et al., 2011; Welch & Payne, 2010). In this study, we contribute to this growing base of evidence by assessing the extent to which Black students in Arkansas, over the past several years, have received more severe consequences than White students - despite being cited for similar infractions. This analysis makes a unique contribution both by controlling for the specific infractions leading to the disciplinary consequences (relatively few studies in the existing literature connect infractions to consequences) and by using days of suspension as the consequence measure rather than simply the likelihood of being suspended. While it is certainly helpful to know if Black students are more likely - all else equal - to receive exclusionary discipline, it is also important that we are aware of any disparities in the severity of the consequences given. In the next section, we set the context for our study by presenting the evidence from the literature on racial disparities in student discipline in two categories of studies. First, we discuss national studies that have generally relied on school-level data and provided only an overview of the consequences levied on students of different races. Because these studies are unable to connect consequences with the associated infraction referral, many questions are left unanswered. We then consider a second set of studies that have investigated the student and school characteristics associated with racial disparities in discipline within particular states or districts. Details: Little Rock: University of Arkansas, Department of Education Reform (EDRE), 2017. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: EDRE Working Paper 2015-11 : Accessed June 21, 2018 at: http://www.uaedreform.org/downloads/2017/04/do-school-discipline-policies-treat-students-fairly-a-second-look-at-school-discipline-rate-disparities.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://www.uaedreform.org/downloads/2017/04/do-school-discipline-policies-treat-students-fairly-a-second-look-at-school-discipline-rate-disparities.pdf Shelf Number: 150625 Keywords: Racial DisparitiesSchool DisciplineSchool SuspensionsZero Tolerance Policies |