Discipline Reform Through
The Eyes of Teachers

Teachers in high-poverty schools report higher rates of verbal disrespect, physical fighting, and assault—and most say a disorderly or unsafe environment makes learning difficult.

A. Teachers in high-poverty schools report higher rates of verbal disrespect, physical fighting, and assault.

Compared to their counterparts in low-poverty schools, teachers in high-poverty schools report significantly higher rates of most student behavior problems. For example, they are more than twice as likely to say that “verbal disrespect” is a daily occurrence in their classrooms, more than six times as likely to say that “physical fighting” is a daily or weekly occurrence in their school, and more than three times as likely to report being personally assaulted by a student (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Teachers in high-poverty schools report higher rates of verbal disrespect, physical fighting, and assault.

Note: Low-poverty schools are defined as those where less than 25 percent of students are eligible for federally subsidized lunches. High-poverty schools are defined as those where more than 75 percent of students are so eligible.

“Classroom discipline was a major challenge for me last school year. I felt that I did not have a voice to address my concerns. I also felt that appropriate action to maintain overall discipline was sorely lacking. I did not feel supported. A student threatened to KILL me. NOTHING was done. The matter was NEVER addressed. I was concerned about some of the students in the room as well as myself. I was made to feel that I was the problem.”

“I work with at-risk youth and spend countless hours working to help them become better people. Hours and hours go into ‘motivating the unmotivated child.’ If push came to shove, my school district would back the parent and student over myself. This year I have documented every situation to protect myself. It is not teaching. It is monitoring behaviors. I really can’t blame the kids because no one cares about them until they get to me. Their home lives are awful and dysfunctional. They have never been told no.”

Notably, these differences are not driven by teacher race (Figures 2–4). For example, roughly similar percentages of African American and white teachers in high-poverty schools say they deal with verbal disrespect “every day” (40 versus 32 percent), that physical fighting is a weekly or daily occurrence (33 versus 29 percent), and that they were personally assaulted by a student in the last year (15 versus 12 percent).

Figure 2. How often would you say you dealt with verbal disrespect in your classroom last school year (2017–18)?

“Over the course of my career, disrespect for adults on campus has grown. Is it societal? That is a huge factor. When the profession is disrespected as a whole, it’s only logical that children are learning that it’s alright to treat teachers as society does.”

“The students were awful to me. I would cry in my car some days.”

“Over the last 23 years of teaching, the disrespect that students show has become more prevalent. There have always been students who would show disrespect, but now more of them will, and many parents are supportive of this behavior by their child.”

Figure 3. How often would you say physical fighting happened at your school last year (2017–18)?

“I retired because I couldn’t take the stress. I could handle my classroom, but the school environment was horrible. Sometimes, I was breaking up three fights a day, every day of the week. Admin. kept changing the rules and not telling the teachers. And they did not enforce the rules we had.”

“Not only did I consider quitting teaching…I did quit. The stress level is incredible… I am now in the private sector. I don’t make as much money, but I was working for peanuts anyway.”

“Unruly students are the only factor that makes me feel like leaving the profession.”

Figure 4. Were you physically attacked by a student last school year (2017–18)?

“One of my goals for last year was not to get hurt.”

I wish the administrators would have teachers’ backs I was physically assaulted by a student, and all the admins did was pull him out of my class for three days. He is still in my class.”

B. Over half of teachers in high-poverty schools say student behavior problems “contributed to a disorderly or unsafe environment that made it difficult for many students to learn.”

Many teachers in high-poverty schools say student behavior problems make it difficult for them to do their jobs properly. For example, 58 percent say such behavior problems “contributed to a disorderly or unsafe environment that made it difficult for many students to learn,” versus just 24 percent of teachers in low-poverty schools (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Which statement comes closer to describing your school last year (2017–18)?

Note: Low-poverty schools are defined as those where less than 25 percent of students are eligible for federally subsidized lunches. High-poverty schools are defined as those where more than 75 percent of students are so eligible.

“Students are not held accountable for their actions anymore. We make excuses for everything. They need structure and to understand what is expected of them. When people do “not follow through, they get away with whatever they want.”

“Admin does not want to give consequences for behavior. They understand that students do not have great home lives. However, this sends the message that you can act however you want with no consequences…I don’t think it’s necessary to punish students and make them feel disconnected from school and give up on an academic life. But something needs to be done instead of nothing.”

Notably, similar percentages of African American and white teachers in high-poverty schools say student behavior problems make learning difficult (60 versus 57 percent), suggesting that perceptions of school climate are not primarily driven by teacher race (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Which statement comes closer to describing your school last year (2017–18)?

“When you have students with behavioral problems in your classroom, it is nearly impossible to teach. You begin to despise your job and want out. If the administration does not back you up 100%, you can chalk up the year as a wash.”

“Discipline has gone downhill. With the new laws, more students are staying in class and then disrupting the learning environment. Consequences are not handed out quickly enough, and students refuse to serve after-school detentions. They are not held accountable any more. The lack of control/discipline in the schools has had me thinking about other career choices. I signed up to be a teacher, not to constantly manage behavior and deal with such disrespectful young people.”

Most teachers say discipline is inconsistent or inadequate and that the recent decline in suspensions is at least partly explained by higher tolerance for misbehavior or increased underreporting.

A. Two-thirds of teachers say discipline policy is inconsistently enforced, and almost half say they put up with offending behavior in the classroom due to a lack of administrative support.

Unsurprisingly, when asked to identify the factor most responsible for student behavior problems at their school, a plurality of teachers (42 percent) chose “uninvolved parents or troubled families.” However, a significant minority (23 percent) chose “administrators who enforced school discipline policy inconsistently” (Figure 7).

Figure 7. Which of the following do you think was most responsible for the student behavior problems at your school last year (2017–18)?

“The lack of support by administration is causing teachers to leave the classroom. Inconsistent discipline is students to have no respect for administrators, so if you havetrouble managing your classroom you literally have no support. Administration refuses to help teachers with poor classroom management. Students feel like they run the school, and honestly they do at my school…Teachers need support! We are exhausted!”

Roughly two-thirds of teachers (66 percent) say discipline policy is inconsistently enforced at their school (Figure 8).

Figure 8. Which statement comes closer to describing your school last year (2017–18)?

“The inconsistency is one of the biggest issues, followed by administration’s lack of follow-up…Teachers are often handling issues in their classroom that should have been escalated to administration because administration will often do nothing other than have a quick conversation with the student, no matter the severity of the infraction.”

“Part of the problem is that discipline is not enforced equally by administrators, but another part of the problem is that it is inconsistent among teachers and other staff members, as well. Even when policies are clearly stated, there are enough teachers who do not follow them that the students don’t think they have to be followed in any class.”

“Administrators in our district have far too many responsibilities and an enormous number of students to address. However, our admin does not specifically address the rules at the beginning of each year with the student population, and they do not follow through with the rules they do set.”

“School discipline works best when everyone knows what consequences there are and the same infraction gets the same consequence every time.”

“In order to have effective classroom discipline one must be fair, firm, and consistent.”

“Administration needs to be more consistent and… hold students and parents more accountable!”

Almost half of teachers (48 percent) say they put up with offending behavior in the classroom due to “a lack of administrative support” (Figure 9).

Figure 9. Did you find yourself putting up with offending behavior in the classroom due to a lack of administrative support?

“The administrators do not have the teachers’ backs when a student is violent or disruptive, possibly because their own supervisors don’t have theirs.”…

“At my school, the teacher is always wrong, and administrators tend to take the part of the student. They only intervene in student-to-student confrontations. Teachers are not allowed to say anything, but students can be verbally abusive.

“There was a point in time when I stopped writing referrals. For several years I did not write a single referral, as I felt nothing was done when I did. There were no consequences for students. They were simply talked to, if that, and let off the hook. I did not feel supported or backed by my administration. I was told to stay in my lane and that administration had the right to bend rules and enforce however they saw fit.”

B. Underreporting of “serious incidents” is rampant, and most teachers say underreporting and/or higher tolerance for misbehavior are at least partly responsible for the recent decline in suspensions.

Only 23 percent of teachers reporting a decline in suspensions at their school say that decline is “completely” or “mostly” attributable to “improved student behavior,” compared to 38 percent who attribute it to higher tolerance for misbehavior (Figure 10). (Forty-six percent of teachers chose “increased use of alternatives to OSS,” which could be consistent with either or both of those responses.) In addition to these factors, 18 percent of teachers say underreporting by administrators is “completely” or “mostly” responsible for the decline in suspensions.

Figure 10. How responsible do you think each of the following is for the decline in out-of-school suspensions at your school?

Note: The sample for this question includes only those respondents who reported that the number of out-of-school suspensions had decreased at their school in recent years.

“There are very few consequences for student misbehavior…Students have learned this and know they can get away with anything.”

“At times I feel students are not held accountable for their actions, and that is teaching them nothing about serving after graduation in the job world.”

“The reason suspensions dropped across our very large school district is that the district-level administration refused to let principals suspend students out of school. Ithad nothing to do with changes in student behavior or ineffective teachers. It had everything to do with them “wanting to make the numbers look good on paper.”

“During the 2017–18 school year…I saw a complete disregard for the safety of both students and teachers in favor of underreporting “significant disciplinary actions. This was done to prevent the reports within the system, which can reflect negatively on a school’s rating and grade. It led to an increase in behavioral issues because the students understood that there would be no consequences for their actions. The classrooms were often disrupted by this behavior, and many students would communicate their safety concerns, but to no avail.”

On average, teachers in high-poverty schools are six times more likely to say administrators at least "sometimes" fail to report suspensions than teachers in low-poverty schools (Figure 11).

Figure 11. Based on your experiences as a teacher, how often would you say that administrators tell students to stay home from school without officially recording it as a suspension?

“We follow a city-wide discipline code that does not allow for out-of-school suspension except in extreme cases. This policy is not helpful at all and forces schools to keep discipline problems in the classroom. The policy is more harmful to good students that want to learn and are unable to…It is discouraging for good students.”

“I believe that the number of discipline cases isunderreported because of coding. At my school, any time we write up a student, we are advised to select the teacher referral code. Administration later goes in and updates it based on their punishment. Sometimes a student was written up by several teachers, but it was counted as one disciplinary action on the administration side.”

In New York City, which has pursued discipline reform more aggressively than any district in the country, more than one-quarter of teachers say underreporting it is “completely” or “mostly” responsible, and more than half (57 percent) saying it is at least "somewhat" responsible (Figure 12).²

Figure 12. How responsible do you think increased underreporting is for the decline in suspensions at your school?

Note: Sample includes only educators who teach in New York City.

“My biggest takeaway from working for New York City is that they don't deal with discipline, which is one of the main reasons why the numbers are so bad for schools. Students quickly realize there are no consequences for negative behavior. If a teacher tries to be too strict, they are quickly identified as having ‘management issues.’ As a result, teachers end up dealing with lots of behaviors that would never be acceptable in any other social situation.”

Finally, teachers’ responses suggest that the distinction between underreporting suspensions and underreporting serious behaviors is important. For example, 22 percent of teachers say administrators “sometimes” or “often” send students home “without officially recording it as a suspension,” versus 43 percent who say administrators underreport "serious disciplinary incidents" (Figure 13).

Figure 13. Based on your accumulated experiences, how often do you think administrators do each of the following?

“More often than not, administrators sweep incidents under the rug and don’t report them. The more they report, the worse it makes the school look. I have had teachers attacked severely, but little was done…

“The underreporting that our admin does is RIDICULOUS. But they’re doing it that way so we look better to the district, so they look better to the county, so they look better on the state results. It’s shameful.”

“Underreporting for OSS or serious offenses is common. Administrators don’t want their schools highlighted by the county.”

Although many teachers see value in newer disciplinary approaches—such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and restorative justice—most also say that suspensions can be useful and appropriate in some circumstances.

A. Although many teachers see value in newer disciplinary approaches—such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and restorative justice—most also say that suspensions can be useful.

Overwhelming majorities of teachers say newer disciplinary approaches such as PBIS, “restorative justice,” and “trauma-informed” practices, are at least “somewhat” effective. However, 88 percent of teachers also say that a traditional approach that focuses on “establishing specific consequences for misbehavior” is at least somewhat effective (Figure 14).

Figure 14. In your opinion, how effective is each of the following approaches to school discipline?

What do teachers think of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)?

“My school uses PBIS, which is helpful. But sometimes, we get away from holding kids accountable for their misbehavior.”

“We just implemented a schoolwide PBIS plan, and so far the discipline has been far more successful than previous years.”

“I personally believe students should haveconsequences for bad behavior…Our district does not have this belief. We are a PBIS district…I don't see how we are preparing students for the real world if they don't have consequences for bad behavior, regardless of their family situation or background.”

“PBIS can be a good thing to recognize students that don't always get acknowledged for doing the right thing. However, students need clear boundaries and consequences for misconduct. My school uses only PBIS. There are no clear boundaries or consequences for misconduct. My school district does not allow OSS.”

“We need to use a mixed-methods approach. PBIS and other ‘huggy’ programs are great for some kids and can really benefit them. Unfortunately, there is confusion about when to use what program, and it leads to a lot of ambiguity regarding whether or not a consequence will be implemented.”

“PBIS (or something similar) works for some students. Negative consequences work for some students. NOTHING works for all students. A variety of disciplinary systems must be in place, but schools jump on the bandwagon of one and try to make each student fit the model. Experienced and successful teachers (and parents) know that what works for one may not work for another. All students need consistency.”

What do teachers think of restorative justice?

“Students must be held accountable or their unacceptable actions will persist. Restorative justice does not work.”

“Restorative approaches do not work in many situations. It is good to practice it, but more punitive forms of discipline need to be enacted too.”

“Our school has focused on restorative justice and student conferences instead of any real consequences, and the students see that as getting away with bad behavior, so they continue.”

“The restorative justice program is a farce and should be discontinued until a thorough study of its effectiveness can be completed. It has done more to demoralize teachers than any other program.”

Restorative justice has led to a huge decrease of suspensions. I fully understand the arguments for this approach. However, I strongly feel that this approach is failing students, particularly students of color, because it is reinforcing the idea that there are little or no consequences for negative behavior. Things do not work like this in the real world, outside of school. So it is better to teach students that there are real consequences for misbehavior at a young age, rather than have them learn that the hard way with the criminal justice system.”

“I am firmly in favor or trauma-informed practices and restorative justice. The main cause of many discipline issues in schools is the lack of reflection of staff on how they are creating the issues they struggle with, and a change of staff attitude and tone does tremendous things for the productivity of a classroom.”

“I am an advocate for the use of restorative practices, restitution, and prevention techniques. I oppose suspensions and believe that no student should be "thrown away.” These are children, and they need our support, not a punishment. OSS and expulsion limits my students' access to food (as we provide breakfast and lunch at no cost to our students). A suspension isn't just exclusion from school. It may be an exclusion from food.”

In general, teachers’ responses suggest that they are aware of the costs that may be associated with out-of-school suspensions. For example, 62 percent of teachers say OSS is harmful because “the suspended student falls further behind academically,” and 48 percent say it increases students’ odds of criminal justice involvement. Yet, despite these concerns, overwhelming majorities of teachers say suspensions have their uses. For example, 86 percent say OSS is “useful for sending messages to parents about the seriousness of infractions” (Figure 15).

Figure 15. Indicate your agreement with the following statements about the use of out-of-school suspensions (OSS).

Note: Six of the eight questions (and scale) above were replicated with permission from a survey on school discipline conducted in Philadelphia by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education.³ By and large, teachers in the Philadelphia survey responded similarly to teachers in our national survey.

Overall, just 27 percent of teachers say the “negative impacts of OSS outweigh any possible benefits,” suggesting that efforts to reduce OSS are likely to encounter resistance if they go too far. Teachers’ responses also suggest that OSS and ISS serve distinct—though clearly overlapping—purposes. For example, 59 percent of teachers say OSS is more effective at “sending messages to parents about the seriousness of infractions,” whereas 58 percent prefer ISS when it comes to “helping students who misbehave stay on track academically) (Figure 16).

Figure 16. Which do you think accomplishes each of the following more effectively, ISS or OSS?

“I feel suspension is just a punishment. It does nothing to deal with the causes of behavior. I don’t feel it deters the suspended student or other students from engaging in future misbehaviors.”

“Suspensions are generally not helpful to the student that is suspended, but they help maintain order in the school or classroom.”

“The effectiveness of ISS and OSS depends on consequences for bad behavior…the student and his/her family. For well-disciplined students with strong family support, being given ISS or OSS is enough to curtail any future discipline problems.”

“ISS is such a joke at my school that many students purposely do things to be sent to ISS just to get out of regular class for a few days. I believe ISS could be a deterrent for minor behavior problems if students didn’t feel so comfortable.”

“Our entire approach is ineffective. Students feel that ISS and OSS are both ‘holidays’ from class. Therefore, neither helps to deter future inappropriate behaviors.”

“My school added in-class suspension, which is a joke. They sit in the back with an hourly clipboard to check off if they are doing work silently. It sets kids up to fail and puts more work on teachers.”

“I think lunchtime detention without electronics is MUCH more effective than any in- or out-of-school suspension. Students lose socialization time AND phone time. Both are HIGHLY coveted by teenagers.”

B. In general, teachers say out-of-school suspensions should be reserved for serious offenses, but the context in which the offense occurs is important.

Although significant minorities support expulsion for illegal drug use (37 percent) and sexual activity on school grounds (22 percent), most teachers say OSS is the appropriate consequence for physical fighting and theft, while ISS is appropriate for minor offenses such as verbal disrespect and misusing a cellphone (Figure 17).

Figure 17. Assuming there are no extenuating circumstances, which do you think is the most appropriate consequence for the following infractions?

“Consequences for bad behavior should fit the behavior and be beneficial for the school. All too often, a student who gets in trouble for disrespecting a teacher is put in ISS or OSS, where they get a mini vacation. Then they return to class without an apology or resolution “with the teacher. Then it is on the teacher to make sure the suspended student is caught up academically. Suspension alone just doesn’t carry weight with some students and parents.”

Notably, the context in which an offense occurs is key. For example, only 12 percent of teachers say out-of-school suspension is an appropriate consequence the first time a student shows “verbal disrespect.” Yet 64 percent say OSS is appropriate if a student has been repeatedly disrespectful (and ISS has already been tried). Similarly, 48 percent of teachers say OSS is the right response for “physical fighting” if a student hasn’t gotten in a fight before, but that figure increases to 92 percent for repeat offenders (Figure 18).

Figure 18. Although they are reluctant to use out-of-school suspension for first-time offenses, many teachers believe it can be appropriate when other measures have failed.

“ believe in positive reinforcement for all students However, when behavior is outrageous, I believe there should be consequences.”

I believe some infractions deserve severe consequences, and I believe repeated infractions deserve progressively harsher consequences. Having staff to provide counseling, parent interaction, and alternative disciplinary and remediation requires money. But no one wants to hear the simple answer: train people better, pay people better, create workdays that don’t absolutely wear people down.”

“I

Most teachers say the majority suffers because of a few chronically disruptive students—some of whom should not be in a general education setting.

A. Most teachers say the majority of students suffer because of a few chronically disruptive peers—some of whom “should not be in their classroom.”

When asked to reflect on the previous school year, more than three-quarters of teachers agreed that “most students suffered because of a few persistent troublemakers” (Figure 19).

Figure 19. Based on your experiences at your school last year (2017–18), indicate your agreement with the following statement: Most students suffered because of a few persistent troublemakers.

Note: “Agree” includes both strongly and somewhat agree responses. This survey question was replicated with permission from a national survey of middle and high school teachers conducted by Public Agenda in 2004.⁴ In that survey, 85 percent of teachers agreed with this statement.

“The majority of students are in school to learn However, the repeat offenders make the learning environment consistently disruptive and undermine the teacher’s ability to teach and the students’ ability to learn. It is depressing to say the least. For everyone. Including the repeat offenders. It is so very sad. Going to school makes me sad.”;

“Last year, my site was held hostage by a small number of students with chronic behavior issues. Many measures were taken to stem the tide, but when you have inconsistent consequences (or no consequences) for the students, parents who blame instead of taking responsibility, and a top-down message that suspensions must be brought down, it makes for a challenging situation.”

Similarly, nearly two-thirds of teachers in high-poverty schools said they had “chronically disruptive” students who they felt “should not have been in their classroom” (Figure 20).

Figure 20. Did you have any students with chronic discipline problems who you felt should not have been in your [high-poverty] classroom last year (2017–18)?

Note: Sample includes only respondents teaching in schools where more than 75 percent of students were eligible for federally-subsidized lunches.

“I’m shocked we don’t have parents of the GOOD kids banging on our school doors demanding to know why THEIR students’ education is suffering because OTHER kids are allowed to continue being little a-holes. And they KNOW they are behaving that way; it’s not all trauma related. Some of them genuinely enjoy testing us adults, and they KNOW there’s a trend to reduce suspensions.”

“If multiple teachers are struggling with the same student disrupting class, that student shouldn’t be in a general ed classroom. I don’t think people realize how hard teachers work and how much we put up with. If a student is consistently disrupting the entire class, administration needs to take them out of the class for more than one or two days. We can’t do our job correctly if a student can’t meet the expectations of the school.”

“When we lost our Behavior Enhancement class, that forced most of the very challenging students back into a general ed class. That is a huge problem—a lack of specially trained teachers to work with those students who struggle emotionally.”

B. Most teachers say students with Individualized Education Programs are treated too leniently, “even when their misbehavior has nothing to do with the disability.”

Roughly two-thirds of teachers say general education students receive harsher consequences than students with IEPs for similar offenses (Figure 21).

Figure 21. All else equal, if a student with special needs and a general education student commit the same infraction, is the consequence likely to be:

That result makes some sense, since the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) forbids suspensions or expulsion for behavior caused by a student’s disability. However, 69 percent of teachers—including 61 percent of special-education teachers—also say students with IEPs are treated too leniently, “even when their behavior has nothing to do with the disability” (Figure 22).⁵

Figure 22. To what extent do you agree with the following statement: Students with IEPs were treated too leniently, even when their behavior had nothing to do with their disability.

Note: This survey question was replicated with permission from a national survey of middle and high school teachers conducted by Public Agenda in 2004.⁶ In that survey, teachers’ responses were as follows: 40 percent strongly agreed, 37 percent somewhat agreed, 11 percent somewhat disagreed, 8 percent strongly disagreed, and 4 percent weren’t sure.

“By creating and following ridiculous behavior plans for individual students, we are allowing them to think that the world revolves around them. It’s a prison pipeline.”

“Special education students get away with murder. Special education behavior is far and away the largest driver of problems in the general education classroom. Mainstreaming has been a miserable experience.”

Overall, as a special-education teacher, I DON’T agree that some students should be in the regular education classroom, because their behavior completely disrupts the learning environment for others. It’s doing them a disservice to not be receiving more help, and it’s a disservice to other students and teachers that have to put up with it on a regular basis without being properly trained in dealing with behaviors. I am specifically talking about students who are ‘emotionally disturbed.’”

“I was in a classroom with several students on IEPs and on specific medications for behavior issues, as well as bipolar disorder and violent tendencies. If these students were on their medications, the day went very smoothly. However, more often than not, they would miss a dose of medicine or intentionally not take it, and the entire day would be a battle to keep control and teach as effectively as possible. I think in these situations, it is unfair to ask the teacher if we have tried ‘this strategy’ or ‘that strategy’ prior to having administration interfere. I know administrators are only following the protocol put forth to them, but there are times when students need to be removed immediately…”

Despite the likely costs for students who misbehave—and their belief that disciplinary consequences are racially biased—many African American teachers say suspensions, expulsions, and other forms of “exclusionary discipline” should be used more often.

A. African American teachers are more likely to believe that suspensions increase students’ odds of criminal justice involvement—and far more likely to believe that disciplinary consequences are racially biased.

Overall, 74 percent of white teachers and 80 percent of African American teachers say getting suspended at least “slightly increases” students’ odds of involvement. However, about twice as many African American teachers (16 percent) as white teachers (8 percent) say suspensions “greatly increase” those odds (Figure 23).

Figure 23. What impact (if any) do you think getting suspended has on a student's odds of criminal justice involvement?

“OSS does NOT cause criminal activity. Criminals are often given OSS, but that does not cause the criminal action.”

“I wish there was an effective way to redirect students who have learned how to fail and have been told over and over again that school is not for them.”

Students who can’t read and don’t perform at grade level are more prone to misbehavior. If students experience success, they are less likely to get into trouble. School is the issue. Discipline is a symptom.”

In contrast, the gap between African American teachers’ and white teachers’ views on the prevalence of racial bias in school discipline is striking—and far larger than the racial gap for any other question. Overall, more than three quarters of black teachers say disciplinary consequences are biased, while almost as many white teachers say they aren’t biased (Figure 24).

Figure 24. All else equal, if an African-American student and a white student commit the same infraction (e.g., verbally disrespecting a teacher), is the consequence likely to be:

“African American boys are punished to the extreme in comparison to other demographics. Everybody knows this is a true statement, but NO ONE does anything about it.”

I am frustrated with the biased/unbiased issue I truly feel we discipline fairly and equally across the spectrum of students on my campus. And as a teacher, I feel like it has been put to us that we are the problem because we are racist when that could not be farther from the truth…It is counterproductive and puts all teachers off.”

“If a student whose parent is an active and vocal member of the PTA has a child who misbehaves, that child is less likely to receive a punishment commensurate with the crime. If a child who misbehaves has a parent that is not active or visible, sometimes those punishments exceed the weight of the crime.”

“There has been little consistency in discipline in any of the schools that I have taught in. It is not always racial, gender, or special-ed designation that led to the bias. Often it was just that an administrator liked the student or liked the parents or was afraid of the parents.”

For what it’s worth, 35 percent of white teachers and 31 percent of African American teachers in high-poverty schools say they recommended that a student be suspended or personally suspended a student in the 2017-18 school year. However, this difference is not statistically significant, and the survey didn’t ask teachers about the race of the suspended student (Figure 25).

Figure 25. Did you recommend that a student be suspended or personally suspend a student last school year (2017–18)?

Note: Sample includes only respondents teaching in schools where more than 75 percent of students were eligible for federally-subsidized lunches.

“I, personally, understand the difference between bias and reality. Our administration really took a back seat and turned it around on us…‘What have you done to cause the student to act like this?’”

“Minority (black) students are always accused and receive harsher punishments much more often than their white peers. Working in a predominantly white school, I see that other minority students are never accused or punished in the way black students are.”

“I feel that these issues are systemic. They are tied to racial and ethnic tensions that date back decades. I also feel that lack of connection to the community and students’ families exacerbates the issues.”

B. Regardless of race, many teachers say suspensions, as well as long-term options such as Alternative Learning Centers and expulsions, should be used more often.

Overall, 43 percent of teachers say OSS is used “too little,” while just 9 percent say it is used “too much.” Similarly, more than one-third of teachers say expulsions (36 percent) and alternative classroom settings (38 percent) aren’t used enough, while almost none say they are used too much (Figure 26).

Figure 26. In general, do you think your school used the following responses to student behavior problems too much, too little, or about the right amount?

Notably, pro-suspension sentiment is particularly strong among African American teachers and teachers in high-poverty schools. For example, 50 percent of African American teachers and 46 percent of white teachers in high-poverty schools say OSS should be used more often, versus 7 percent and 9 percent who say it is used too much (Figure 27).

Figure 27. In general, do you think your [high-poverty] school used out-of-school suspensions too much, too little, or about the right amount?

Note: Sample includes only respondents teaching in schools where more than 75 percent of students were eligible for federally-subsidized lunches.

“Either we want higher test scores or we want lower suspension rates, but we can’t have both.”

“Neither positive nor negative consequences are the singular answer. The answer lies in consistent expectations and consistent follow-through when rules are not followed.”

OSS is completely ineffective. I have had students purposely act out to try to get suspended so they can avoid school. It is far better to get counselors and parents involved to help the “child see the need to be in school.”

“I answered ‘I don’t know’ for a lot of questions because I think the issue is quite complex. My gut says that we should be addressing underlying issues rather than telling a child not to come to school for a week.”

Similarly, 44 percent of African American teachers and 41 percent of white teachers in high-poverty schools say Alternative Learning Centers should be used more often, versus 7 and 6 percent, respectively, who say they are used “too much” (Figure 28).

Figure 28. In general, do you think your [high-poverty] school used alternative learning centers ("ALC") too much, too little, or the right amount?

Note: Sample includes only respondents teaching in schools where more than 75 percent of students were eligible for federally-subsidized lunches.

“It is almost impossible to deal effectively with the diverse needs of 34 students, especially with students who have behavioral issues and need additional discipline and attention. Either the better-behaved students get less attention because the students with behavioral issues “take up more time and focus, or the students with behavioral issues get less attention.”

Finally, 39 percent of white teachers and 36 percent of African American teachers say that more students should be expelled or counseled out—although significant percentages selected “I don’t know” (Figure 29).

FIGURE 29. In general, do you think your [high-poverty] school used expulsions too much, too little, or the right amount?

Note: Sample includes only respondents teaching in schools where more than 75 percent of students were eligible for federally-subsidized lunches.

“I appreciate the intellectual arguments on both sides of this conversation: I understand that students may have past trauma to explain their behavior and that we should try and address the root causes, and I also understand that one student’s misbehavior shouldn’t disrupt the learning of others. But I don’t have enough patience for consistent misbehavior, and I have yet to see anyone propose a solution that is practical and works. And by practical, I mean…I’m a teacher. I know and love my content, and I want to focus my energy on helping students learn. I am NOT a psychologist or a police officer. I cannot be expected to police or counsel these extremely troubled and defiant children.”

1. When it comes to school discipline, federal and state policymakers should respect the principle of non-maleficence: First, do no harm.

Because sensibly balancing the interests of a minority of students against those of the majority is impossible from hundreds or thousands of miles away, federal and state policymakers should think twice before wading into the moral bracken of school discipline. The federal Office for Civil Rights has a duty to intervene in cases where students believe they have been subject to discrimination, and these results in no way negate that vital function. But they do underscore the importance of making teachers and principals—not distant bureaucrats—the default arbiters of school discipline.

2. Districts should revise their codes of conduct to give teachers and principals greater discretion when it comes to suspensions.

Establishing and maintaining basic order so students can learn is an interpersonal challenge that doesn’t lend itself to technocratic solutions. Consequently, when it comes to school discipline, it makes more sense to rely on teachers’ and administrators’ professional judgment than to second-guess or micromanage them. Trying to devise universal rules that are appropriate to every situation can do serious damage insofar as it undermines teachers’ and principals’ authority, forces them to make fundamentally unreasonable trade-offs, and increases the incentive to engage in underreporting.

3. Instead of fixating on the rate at which disruptive students are removed from schools and classrooms, advocates for these students should focus on improving the environments to which they are likely to be removed.

In general, districts and schools should be focused on connecting disruptive students with the services they need, rather than the rates at which they are suspended or expelled. For example, teachers’ comments suggest there is ample room for improving the quality of “in-school suspension.” And there is a strong case for referring students who receive lengthier suspensions (or outright expulsions) to a district-run alternative learning center that is physically separated from the school of origin and appropriately staffed with social workers and mental health professionals, in addition to trained educators.

4. Additional resources should be put toward hiring more teaching assistants and mental health professionals in high-poverty schools, rather than training teachers in largely unproven alternatives that may do more harm than good.

Although the appeal of newer disciplinary approaches is understandable, their track record is decidedly spotty, in part because what appears to work in one place often fails to deliver the hoped-for benefits when tried somewhere else—with different students, different staff, different leadership, and different resources and constraints. Consequently, when and where additional resources are available or existing resources can be redirected, the priority should be ensuring that high-poverty schools and the associated alternative settings are well-staffed with individuals who have the requisite skills, knowledge, and passion for helping troubled and at-risk youth succeed—not on unproven "alternatives to suspension" that may do more harm than good.

“Educators are frequently asked to be social workers and counselors.”

“I have 29 students and NO other adults in my class all day. Another adult presence would be amazing!”

“There was a question that asked: What can a school do to improve discipline? I answered hiring more social workers. If hiring a Dean to enforce discipline was an answer choice, I would have put that first.”

In-house and out-of-school suspension are effective deterrents for 90 percent of students, but the other 10 percent need additional support and just cycle between severe consequences. For these students, we need more mental health services and counseling.”

“My school works hard to consistently address behavior concerns. Even with the support of administration, I feel that we are understaffed in addressing behavioral issues, which sometimes results in chronic behavior issues remaining in the classroom.”

“Some students were homeless and had little support from parents. Some parents need parenting classes. Often these kids have had problems due to their life situation that they didn’t ask for. We are limited in what we can do for them. Honestly, schools need more funding for social workers on campus, even in elementary school.”

“A couple of high schools I taught at were in desperate need of full-time mental health professionals to support students whose parents couldn’t afford it or didn’t know how to find the appropriate resources and help. For these students, there is no amount of ISS or OSS that would have helped. They just needed one-on-one professional help. Suspensions may have helped students who had one infraction, but the schools that I worked in did not have a long-term solution or next step (at least from my perspective) for students who repeatedly committed the same offense.”

“I am fortunate to work in a school where parents, students, teachers, and staff work collaboratively and respectfully to help each child succeed. I am able to request support from the social workers present in our building when I see destructive patterns of behavior. We do not use suspensions (ISS or OSS) as a consistent consequence. Rather, we try to establish a secure and positive relationship between home and school. Our students are not perfect, but there is an underlying trust. Often, within our population, we find that behavior problems are linked to learning disabilities or a lack of structure at home. We try to problem solve rather than punish.”

¹ Because we focused on white and African American teachers, technically the survey is only “nationally representative” for teachers in these groups. Back to content

² Russo, Carmen. "De Blasio School Discipline Policy Shift Causes a Stir." Gotham Gazette. https://www.gothamgazette.com/6360-de-blasio-school-discipline-policy-shift-. Back to content

³ Gray, Abigail M. et al. Discipline in Context: Suspension, Climate, and PBIS in the School District of Philadelphia. Philadelphia, PA: Consortium for Policy Research in Education (2017). Back to content

⁴ Public Agenda. Teaching Interrupted: Do Discipline Policies in Today’s Public Schools Foster the Common Good? New York, NY: Public Agenda (May 2004). http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED485312.pdf. Back to content

⁵ Teachers were asked if they primarily taught special-education students or general education students or if they taught equal numbers of both types of students. For the purposes of this analysis, only teachers who said they primarily taught special-education students were treated as special-education teachers.Back to content

⁶ Public Agenda, Teaching Interrupted (2004). Back to content