Teachers get real about discipline reform
Our newest study, “Discipline Reform through the Eyes of Teachers,” is the first scientifically rigorous and nationally representative survey on the topic to be published in at least a decade and a half. Teachers report that disciplinary protocols are inconsistently observed and that the recent decline in suspensions is at least partly explained by higher tolerance for misbehavior or increased underreporting. And many black teachers say that “exclusionary discipline” should be used more often—despite the likely costs for students who misbehave and their belief that disciplinary consequences are racially biased.