High school discipline practices and associated future student infractions

Zero tolerance policies are commonly implemented in school districts across the United States. These policies utilize punitive consequences such as in-school and out-of-school suspensions. There is some research to suggest that these practices may be more likely to promote future misconduct and increase student risk of poor academic achievement, antisocial behavior, and dropping out of school. Despite the recent research documenting deleterious correlates of punitive consequences, inquiry about the relative benefits of varying types of consequences is sparse. Specifically, few studies have compared consequences that exclude students from instruction (e.g., suspension) versus those that are more student-centered (e.g., conferences). Student-centered approaches in particular, tend to foster student skillsets that aid in student self-management and behavior regulation. Following a sample of 9th grade students from two diverse Northeastern high schools over nine months, the current study examined whether conferences relative to exclusionary consequences, such as in-school suspension and out-of-school suspension, were linked to fewer future infractions. It was hypothesized that students who received student-centered disciplinary actions, such as restorative conferences, would receive fewer future disciplinary referrals when compared to peers who received more punitive consequences, such as in-school and out-of school suspensions. However, multiple regression analyses did not support the hypothesis. Results indicated that the type and frequency of consequence received did not significantly impact future rates of office discipline referrals, out-of-school suspension, or in-school suspension. There was, however, a noteworthy finding: when students were referred for reasons related to missing class (e.g., tardiness, unexcused absence), they tended to receive more frequent future disciplinary referrals, relative to their peers who did not receive referrals for these reasons. This suggests that missing class may be an early indicator of serious underlying challenges that contribute to the development of negative discipline trajectories in the first years of high school. Future directions and implications for practice are discussed.Psy.D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Jennifer Lauren Gerewit