Many Schools Reconsidering Zero-Tolerance Discipline

The Washington Post (6/2, St. George) reports, "A growing number of educators and elected leaders are scaling back" zero-tolerance discipline policies due to "high suspension rates, community pressure, legal action and research findings," as well as "a long string of high-profile cases about severe punishments for childhood misjudgments." Meanwhile, "educators are increasingly focused on the fallout of suspensions, which are linked to lower academic achievement and students dropping out." As a result, "in many areas, efforts are underway to find a more calibrated approach to school discipline." One "widely popular" such approach, "positive behavior support, uses structured methods for teaching behavior, with prompting, practice and intervention" prior to using suspensions.