Tag: School Discipline Reform

  • New School Discipline Program Has Fans and Results, But Few Participating Schools

    A few years ago, San Diego Unified launched pilot program aimed at incorporating a new approach to school discipline, called restorative justice, to the district. Restorative justice brings someone who has done something wrong together with their victims — to listen, understand, empathize and heal. When student offenders participate in restorative justice exercises, they may…

  • UCLA: As Suspensions Dropped, California Students Performed Better

    A study out this week suggests school discipline reform is helping to close the achievement gap in California. Out-of-school suspensions have dropped nearly 30 percent statewide since 2011. And researchers with UCLA’s Center for Civil Rights Remedies found many of those districts also saw gains in their Academic Performance Index scores during the same time.…

  • Hoover Builds On School Discipline Reform With Wellness Center

    By Megan Burks Last year Hoover High School teachers cut suspensions by 80 percent after being trained to recognize and address trauma in their students. Hoover is building on that success by establishing a wellness center. It will offer traditional counseling, substance abuse counseling, legal help and referrals to other services for the students and…

  • School Discipline Changes Yield Big Drop in Expulsions

    By Megan Burks Expulsions at San Diego Unified schools are down nearly 60 percent. This time last year, school administrators had heard nearly 400 expulsion cases and handed down 134 of them. Students are recommended for expulsions and get a hearing before it’s made final. As of May 29, administrators had considered 178 expulsions and…

  • The End of ‘Willful Defiance’ School Punishments (Sort of)

    When a child gets in trouble at Cherokee Point Elementary School, Principal Godwin Higa, talks quietly to the student to sort things out. | Photo Credit: Jane Stevens By Mario Koran On this, most school officials agree: “Willful defiance,” a kind of catch-all reason for ejecting students from class is overbroad and problematic. But for…