Punishment in Schools

In response to the severity and prevalence of disciplinary problems, many schools have opted to adopt punishment-based disciplinary approaches such as the zero tolerance policy. Although such disciplinary approaches have become widely practiced, the position set forth in this paper is that punitive approaches may not only fail to produce the appropriate outcomes, but also worsen the situation (National Association of School Psychologists [NASP] "Introduction"). Rather, to eliminate the disciplinary problems, positive discipline strategies that are based on making appropriate changes to the environment should be utilized (NASP "Positive Discipline Strategies Improve Safety and Outcomes for All Students").

By citing various sources that refer to research studies, this paper will provide evidence to indicate that punitive policies result in the following outcomes:

Failure to address the origin of the students' disciplinary problems;

Failure to improve the learning environment; and

Increase in student dropout rates (Cotton "Ineffective Disciplinary Practices"; NASP "Punish-Based Discipline Does Not Improve School Safety, Learning or Behavior").

Moreover, evidence will be cited to prove that positive disciplinary approaches produce beneficial outcomes:

Effective formulation and enforcement of appropriate rules;

Utilization of innovative approaches;

. . .
scipline problems, well-disciplined schools focus on their role. One of the key components of effective positive disciplinary strategies that are utilized in successful schools is their effective formulation and enforcement of appropriate rules. In her integration of findings from 60 documents on this topic, Cotton pointed out that the development of appropriate rules and consequences, with the input of all the stakeholders in the school community, including the students, is vital to the success of schools in minimizing disciplinary problems. Because students contribute to the determination of the rules and the negative consequences of misbehavior, they are less likely to act out than in schools where inappropriate rules are imposed upon the students (Cotton "Preventive Discipline Practices). Orderly and safe schools are also characterized by their willingness to employ a wide variety of innovative approaches. At the individual level, schools such as the one described in Pastor's article provide teacher-mentors to help individual students work through their problems. In this individualized process, mentors empower the students to take responsibility for their own actions and formulate unique solutions that will work for the
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Practices Pastor's, Practices Orderly, Behavior Traynor, Pastor Traynor, Practices Instead, Disciplinary Practices, Outcomes Students, Positive Behavior, Punishment Schools, Behavior Moreover, positive disciplinary, disciplinary strategies, punitive approaches, positive disciplinary strategies, discipline strategies, positive discipline strategies, positive discipline, instructional practices, learning process, disciplinary approaches, cotton ineffective disciplinary, disciplinary issues, school safety, ineffective disciplinary practices, 23 mar 2005,
Approximate Word count = 1483
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Punishment in Schools