Using stimulus funds to improve school discipline.

• Position: YOUR LIFE

Led by the Dignity in Schools Campaign, a coalition of groups--including the American Psychological Association and American Civil Liberties Union--promoting alternatives to harsh zero-tolerance school discipline policies has asked the Department of Education to encourage school districts to invest Federal stimulus money in positive behavior supports (PBS), restorative practices, and other innovative approaches to improve student behavior and achievement. The organizations made the request in a letter to Education Secretary Arne Duncan, outlining several steps to encourage the use of stimulus funds for effective programs that improve student discipline, achievement, and school safety. Twenty-three advocacy groups and 31 individuals have signed on.

Over the past decade, schools increasingly have taken a zero-tolerance approach to discipline, relying heavily on remedies such as suspension and expulsion, but, the letter states, "Studies by the American Psychological Association and others failed to find any evidence that the use of zero tolerance, suspension, and expulsion leads to improvements in student behavior or school climate. Helping schools find alternatives to ineffective discipline is critical to ensuring that all students have the right to full development and that students and teachers are in safe and productive classrooms."

The Department of Education...