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Schools are seeking to understand how to build positive school environments that help students learn and become good citizens in the school community. One practice used in charter schools is merit and demerit systems. The literature indicates that positive and negative reinforcements acts as punitive discipline that only works when adults are around students to enforce policies, rules, and expectations. One particular charter high school that used a merit and demerit system to discipline students was studied to understand the implications of such systems for students of color living in a low-income community. Using the principles of critical pedagogy, the study connected and drew inferences between teacher perceptions of discipline and how the merit and demerit system impacted student referral and punishment. A total of 12 teachers (ninth and 10th grade) participated in this qualitative study. Through classroom observations and focus groups, trends were triangulated and presented in this study. A major finding of this study involves the teacher understanding that the concept of a merit and demerit system is beneficial, but ultimately leads to a loss of student agency. The discussion focuses on explaining an authoritarian perspective and the perceptions and reality of the implementing a merit and demerit system at the high school level. Implications for educators to understand and improve school discipline policies that support students and rethink punitive and authoritarian practices are discussed. Recommendations for future research in the study are presented and summarized.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship, if any, between Florida Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Project Model School status (e.g., Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) and student discipline outcomes in Florida public middle schools. Additionally, this study analyzed how Model School status influenced in-school suspensions and out-of-school suspensions (i.e., disciplinary exclusions) for racial/ethnic subgroups and the extent to which these subgroups were overrepresented or underrepresented in disciplinary exclusion data. The results of the study showed that PBIS Model School status did not significantly influence the number of disciplinary exclusions compared to non-PBIS Model Schools for the 2021-2022 school year. However, Black students experienced fewer disciplinary exclusions in PBIS model schools compared to non-PBIS model schools. When comparing disciplinary exclusions between Model School designations of Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, Black students experienced fewer disciplinary exclusions in PBIS Platinum schools compared to Bronze schools. Moreover, it was observed that the relative risk for Black students to receive any disciplinary exclusion was significantly less in schools that were awarded higher Model School designations beyond Bronze status. Conversely, results showed that White and Hispanic students experienced more disciplinary exclusions in PBIS model schools. Furthermore, the relative risk for White and Hispanic students was proportionate relative to their representation in the school population in PBIS model schools with higher Model School designations. Results from this study may be used by school and school district leaders to inform their implementation of PBIS, especially at schools that have discipline disparity concerns.

ABSTRACT Before 1994 corporal punishment was the main discipline strategy implemented in schools. Since then legislation has been passed, which resulted in corporal punishment being made illegal. The majority of educators strongly opposed this change in the national discipline policy as they felt it left them powerless in terms of disciplining their learners. In 2000 a national programme on discipline strategies was embarked on and many of the results were incorporated in the booklet titled “Alternatives to Corporal Punishment: The Learning Experience.” This booklet formed part of the National Department of Education’s discipline policy. It contains guidelines for implementing alternative strategies to corporal punishment in an effort to remediate problems with discipline. It also gives examples of disciplinary action for dealing with misconduct. The objective of this research was to establish what educators’ perceptions of the Department of Education’s alternative methods to corporal punishment are after they had exposure to it by means of a workshop. The research also aimed to explore underlying reasons for the educators’ perceptions. The sample of sixty-four educators used for this purpose came from various school contexts from traditional ex-model C schools to historically disadvantaged schools. The data in this study was obtained by means of a structured questionnaire, which was administered to the educators that attended the workshop on the Department of Education’s Discipline policy. In view of the fact that there are no existing instruments in use to explore the objectives of this research, it was necessary to develop a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of both open-ended questions, which required a more qualitative approach as well as close-ended questions, which were more quantitative in nature. The results obtained from this study showed that the majority of the respondents who attended the workshop agreed with the discipline policy proposed by the Department of Education. However, there was a significant discrepancy between the educators’ perceptions of the policy and whether they felt it could be successfully implemented in their schools. The main reasons for this was that the respondents felt that the Department of Education and educator training institutions do not provide educators with adequate discipline training and support. Furthermore, the findings of this study demonstrated that the respondents are experiencing a state of learned helplessness where they feel the discipline problems they are faced with are beyond their control.

In the 40th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes toward the Public Schools, Americans rated discipline as the second largest problem facing public education (Bushaw & Gallup, 2008). This poses a substantial problem for administrators as they strive to employ school reform policies, address public demands and meet the needs of contemporary students. A review of literature revealed a large body of research which examines disciplinary practice; however, it also showcased a literary gap regarding administrative disciplinary philosophies. This multiple case study highlights disciplinary philosophies possessed by five secondary school administrators. Analysis included utilizing the Administrator Discipline Facilitation Continuum; an adapted discipline continuum developed to analyze administrator disciplinary philosophies. The versatility of the continuum is discussed, as well as implications for its use and future development.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1990.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.