The adoption of policies that encourage the presence of police in schools and the use of extremely harsh tactics such as physical restraints, automatic punishments and expulsions on students are increasing the level of contact between students and the criminal justice system. A worrying trend is that the system is discriminatory to African-American students. These students are more than three times likely to be expelled or suspended in comparison to their white counterparts. The scenario means the African-American students are likely to be arrested or referred to law enforcement agencies for nonviolent offenses such as being disruptive in school. Such practices are discriminatory and unfair as they lead to serious consequences such as achievement gaps between the African-American and white students.
Teachers and school policies should prioritize the use of positive and proactive behaviour management methods to curb indiscipline.
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Teaching Statement
The adoption of punitive practices to curb indiscipline in schools reinforces an unfair system that predisposes the African-American students to incarceration at an early age. The approach undermines the core tenets of teaching where the teacher must demonstrate empathy and create a warm teaching environment for students. Teachers must be guided by the belief that all children are entitled to learn and the teacher must adopt suitable approaches such as student-centred learning where instructional strategies embrace all learning styles. The teachers must also adopt collaborative efforts for behaviour modification to keep most of these students in school. For example, due to their daily interactions, teachers understand the students and the tribulations they are undergoing both inside and outside the school environment that incline them to indiscipline. It means the teachers are at an empowered position to prioritize the use of lesser punitive, but responsive approaches to ensure the students remain in the classroom.
The prevalence of school environments that are overly punitive undermines the attainment of positive student achievements even for those that are well-behaved. Such environments promote student disengagement, alienation, distrust and resentment that are destabilizing to the learning environment. The teacher must, therefore, embrace restorative practices that demonstrate the dangers of indiscipline to students and enhance their self-reflection i.e. connect classroom behaviours to real-life situations. Teachers and formulators of school policies must also focus on policies that nurture trust between students and teachers. Such policies prioritize the strengthening of the communication and engagement platforms between parents, teachers and students (Na & Gottfredson, 2011). For example, a student that misbehaves in the presence of one teacher can demonstrate positive behaviour in the presence of another. Such outcomes demonstrate the need for the class instruction and learner management strategies to align with the different learning preferences for students.
Review and Synthesis of Evidence
Calderhead (2017) emphasizes that the practices of suspending and expelling students deny teachers the opportunity of instilling positive behaviours in their students. The suspended and expelled students have additional time out of school during such suspensions that reinforces their delinquent acts and predisposes them to criminality. However, the disproportionate nature in the enforcement of disciplinary procedures in schools exacerbates the situation as African-American students are associated more with indiscipline than their white counterparts. The author explains that learners from minority groups are likely to be associated with mental retardations and emotional disturbances. Also, such students are from poor backgrounds and are associated with poor upbringing that inclines them to indiscipline. However, it is necessary for teachers to adopt positive behaviour management approaches towards students in an equitable manner. Such strategies require teachers to understand aspects such as the best learning styles and approaches to use on every student. The strategy reduces the level of frustrations experienced by students from minority groups as they can understand the classroom materials. Such students will develop positive attitudes towards learning that reduces their inclination towards misbehaviour.
Gonsoulin, Zablocki & Leone (2012) highlight that zero-tolerance policies as a measure of curbing indiscipline in schools have led to the exclusion of students that deserve education from the school system. The policies have led to the early introduction of students to the criminal justice system. Most of the cases of indiscipline by the students that are expelled or suspended do not even meet the criteria set by state laws. The scenario reveals favouritism where the African-American students are more likely to be suspended or expelled even though the indiscipline acts such as violating school codes are minor and should be handled by the school management. The zero-tolerance policies have little regard to the circumstances that led to the indiscipline acts by students. Also, the number of students that have been expelled or suspended are rising even though data on serious infractions demonstrate a downward trend. Such incongruence points to a disciplinary gap in the school management policies on indiscipline. There is the need for schools to train teachers and other management staff on detection, intervention and prevention strategies to curb indiscipline amongst students. The referral of students to the police and law enforcement agencies for minor cases of indiscipline is unfair and unjust. The processes ignores that students are still in the developmental stages psychologically and their actions should not be judged harshly by referring them to the police.
Raufu (2017) further explains that the overrepresentation of African-American students in the criminal justice system is unfair and propels other social ills faced by minorities. For instance, most of the students that face indiscipline in schools are from dysfunctional families and poor social-economic backgrounds. Due to the poor quality in the upbringing of such children, it is essential for the school authorities to focus on how they can resolve the diverse psychological and psychosocial problems that hinder the manifestation of positive behaviours in most of these students. Teachers and management bodies in schools must cultivate an environment that is conducive for learning. Such an environment must desist from the practice of criminalizing school discipline and nurture collaborative processes for resolving cases of indiscipline. Also, the presence of police within school environments should be discouraged. The policies must appreciate that the police cannot be an extension of the school setting as their ubiquity inflicts trauma and despair on students from minority groups.
Mallet (2017) adds that students that face indiscipline cases in schools are likely to be from poor backgrounds and have been victims of maltreatment. Due to their exposure to abuse and neglect they are likely to suffer from decreased cognitive and language capacities that are likely to lead to poor performance in school. Such predispositions are more prevalent amongst minority groups such as the African-Americans. The situation calls for teachers and management of schools to adopt discipline management policies that support and nurture positive behaviour amongst students from backgrounds that are considered at-risk. However, Skiba, Reynolds, Graham, Sheras, Conoley & Garcia-Vazquez (2006) claim that school violence has reached serious levels and is increasing. The view contrasts with that of most authors such as Gonsoulin, Zablocki & Leone (2012) that found most of the cases of indiscipline do not meet the threshold of being reported to the police and cannot, therefore, be considered serious. However, such contention requires thorough analysis of the various categories of indiscipline to establish their seriousness before concluding they are minor.
Most authors concur that the use of zero-tolerance policies and other punitive discipline management practices does not curb indiscipline in schools. The practice nurtures avenues for a high number of students from minority groups being incarcerated and discontinuing with their education due to low levels of morale and motivation to learn. There is, therefore, the need for flexibility and collaboration amongst teachers, students and parents in resolving cases of indiscipline rather than using the police (Skiba, Reynolds, Graham, Sheras, Conoley & Garcia-Vazquez, 2006).
Recommendations
One of the recommendations is that schools should desist from punishing students using the criminal justice system. Teachers should be trained on collaborative methods for resolving disciplinary cases that include the teacher, parent and the student. Such an approach focuses on maintaining the presence of children in school by determining the appropriate methods for behaviour modification. The approach also limits the interaction of the students with the criminal justice system as most of the errors and mistakes they commit are minor and should be resolved internally within the school.
Another recommendation is that policies should be created to minimize the use of the police and other law enforcement agencies within school environments. Their presence harbours mistrust between the school authorities and students and inclines them towards criminality. The school must invest in efforts such as creating a school code of conduct where the various infractions are explained to students and how they can be avoided.
Conclusion
The adoption of punitive approaches to resolving school indiscipline such as the zero-tolerance policies has not contributed positively to reducing disciplinary cases. Most of these laws fail to address the risk factors that lead to student indiscipline such as dysfunctional upbringing and neighbourhoods and poverty that make most children from minority origins vulnerable to indiscipline. The teaching fraternity must develop proactive approaches to nurture and manage positive behaviours amongst students. Such approaches recognize the risk factors that predispose students from minority groups to indiscipline. The methods cultivate positive relationships amongst teachers, students and parents due to higher levels of engagement and collaboration. Teachers can easily understand their students and develop proactive strategies to manage their behaviour.
References
Calderhead, W. (2017). Exclusionary Discipline Practices in Texas: How to End the School to Prison Pipeline. READ: An Online Journal for Literacy Educators , 3(5).
Na, C. & Gottfredson, D. (2011). Police Officers in Schools: Effects on School Crime and the Processing of Offending Behaviors. Justice Quarterly , 30:4: 619-650.
Gonsoulin, S., Zablocki, M. & Leone, P. (2012). Safe Schools, Staff Development, and the School-to-Prison Pipeline. Teacher Education and Special Education , 35(4):309-319.
Mallet, C. (2017). The School-to-Prison Pipeline: Disproportionate Impact on Vulnerable Children and Adolescents. Education and Urban Society , 49(6): 563-592.
Raufu, A. (2017). School-to-Prison Pipeline: Impact of School Discipline of African-American Students. Journal of Education and Social Policy , 7(1): 47-53.
Skiba, R., Reynolds, C., Graham, S., Sheras, P., Conoley, J. & Garcia-Vazquez, E. (2006). Are Zero Tolerance Policies Effective in the Schools? An Evidentiary Review and Recommendations. American Psychological Association , 63(9): 852-862.
