This project discusses the effectiveness of disciplinary interventions in school-based counseling. Participants were selected from elementary and middle school sites in a school district in Southern California. Qualitative interviews were conducted to give this researcher additional knowledge in the field of school-based counseling. The audio of the interviews that were conducted were recorded, transcribed, and then analyzed by this researcher. The knowledge of the participants and their unique experiences operating with a wide range of students in many years of experience allowed for a more comprehensive understanding of what intervention strategies are most beneficial to students and where schools and counselors can improve in providing counseling services to students. The results consisted of the following eight themes: Defining Discipline, Measuring Success in Interventions, Strategies in Interventions, Theoretical Orientations, Commonalities between Frequently Counseled Students, Communication within the School, Communication between Counselors, and Areas Where Schools are Lacking. Contributions to social work practice in a micro and macro sense are discussed. Findings were given to California State University, San Bernardino and were provided to the school sites and counselors utilized for this study.

The purpose of this study was to investigate effective ways of providing educational services for at-risk students who are repeatedly placed out of the regular classroom into an alternative school. Characteristics of both settings were investigated in terms of meeting student needs to determine what ingredients might be missing from either or both settings that should be implemented to help these students succeed. The research was qualitative and used a case study design. Primary data were gathered from interviews with five students placed in an alternative school setting and interviews with teachers and administrators in both the regular school and the alternative school. Cumulative student records were also used. The researcher concluded that students who are repeatedly placed in the alternative program are a very small percentage in each school; however, there is a need for better resources in both the regular and alternative programs to meet the needs of these students. Key ingredients are better communication between the two settings and a better understanding of the role of the alternative program in serving these students. There is also a need for transition planning and follow-up with students who are not finding success when placed back in the regular classroom and are being pulled back and forth between the two programs.