January, 2005: Deadly Lessons

• This newsletter looks at a timely book for educators: Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence by Mark H. Moore, Carol V. Petrie, Anthony A. Braga, and Brenda L. McLaughlin, Editors; National Research Council. In this book, experts from a range of disciplines use a variety of perspectives (including criminology, ecology, and developmental psychology) to review the latest research on the causes of youth violence in the nation's schools and communities and on school-based interventions that have prevented or reduced it.

December, 2004: Suspended Students Work on the Web

• In some schools, students who are relegated to internal suspension can stay up-to-date with their school lessons while being detained. In fact, students being disciplined can follow along with any lesson being taught. All they have do is log-on to a computer. This new twist to suspensions is being offered to keep students from falling behind in their school work. Read more about it in this newsletter.

November, 2004: The Problem of Truancy

• Poor student attendance is a difficult problem to tackle. Students who are not in school are not learning or progressing. Poor attendance taints school report cards and other performance data. As the number of truant students increases, the trouble they cause also increases. This newsletter not only looks at the problem, but also summarizes some success stories.

October, 2004: Motivating the Smart Kids

• Should schools permit students to skip grades to keep them intellectually stimulated and motivated to attend school? Our October newsletter looks at some interesting research.

September, 2004: The Behavior Home Page

• The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling at the University of Kentucky (SERC) have collaborated on a Web page devoted to student behavior. It is an excellent source for school personnel, parents, and other professionals to gain access to information for working with the behavior problems and challenges displayed by students.

August, 2004: Reading at Risk

• A national survey recently released by the National Endowment for the Arts reported that reading among adults is at an all time low. If the adults aren't reading, then what about the kids? This newsletter takes a look at the some of the consequences of this decline.

July, 2004: Some Thoughts on Motivating Students

• Nine suggestions for motivating students. Links to additional resources are also provided.

June, 2004: School Uniforms: Where They Are and Why They Work

• According to the US Department of Education, a safe and disciplined learning environment is the first requirement of a good school. Young people who are safe and secure, who learn basic values and the essentials of good citizenship, are better students. In response to growing levels of violence in our schools, many parents, teachers, and school officials have come to see school uniforms as one positive and creative way to reduce discipline problems and increase school safety.

May, 2004: Classroom Management Profile

• One of the resources made available by the Education Department at the University of Indiana is a device for teachers to ascertain their "classroom management profile." This simple self-scoring test might be an interesting tool for a principal working with a teacher's classroom management skills, or for a teacher working to improve some aspect of handling student behavior problems.

April, 2004: Judging School Discipline

• Though only a small percentage of schools will ever experience serious violence, the public's sense is that something has gone very wrong with school discipline. Professor Richard Arum demonstrates in his new book, Judging School Discipline: The Crisis of Moral Authority, how over the past 30 years, the courts and the federal government have hacked away at the power of educators to maintain a safe and civil school environment.

March, 2004: Feeding Better Behavior

• School districts across the nation are looking for ways to improve their schools, but they often overlook an important influence on learning - good nutrition. The connection between nutrition and learning is well-established among scientists. This newsletter highlights the amazing turnaround at an alternative school in Appleton Wisconsin.

February, 2004: Intervention Ideas

• Read about Jim Wright, a school psychologist from Syracuse, New York. Jim is a trainer and program developer for the School-Based Intervention Team (SBIT) Project for the Syracuse City School District. SBIT is a successful problem-solving model in which teachers work collegially with their peers to develop effective teaching and behavior management strategies for struggling students.

January, 2004: Don't Laugh at Me

• "Don't Laugh At Me" is a program designed to help transform schools into more compassionate, safe and respectful environments for children. The project provides free materials designed to build a climate that reduces the emotional and physical cruelty some children inflict upon each other through ridicule, bullying and, in extreme cases, violence.

December, 2003: Time Out

• Time out is a widely used discipline measure to correct misbehavior--usually the type that interfers with the learning process. Educators have debated the value of "time out" for years. Read a summary of current thinking on this controversial punishment.

November, 2003: Great Expectations

• For almost a century, scientists have documented the power of teacher expectations. Simply revisiting Theory X and Theory Y can improve student performance in any classroom. It even works with rats!

October, 2003: Zero evidence for zero tolerance: Indiana University study finds no support for harsh discipline in schools

• Can the use of zero tolerance in school discipline improve student behavior or lead to safer schools? Probably not, concludes a report released by the Indiana Education Policy Center at the Indiana University School of Education. Read on for more about this controversial subject.

September, 2003: Restorative Discipline Makes Sense but has Limitations

• Restorative justice is a different way of viewing and responding to misbehavior at school. With restorative justice as a method of student discipline, there is more concern about the restoration of the individual harmed than with the punishment of the offender. Read more in this newsletter.

August, 2003: Appropriate Punishment?

• This newsletter poses a question about what makes punishment appropriate. Do we strive for punishments that "fit" misbehaviors? And where does corporal punishment fit into all of this?

July, 2003: Recognizing Mounting Anxiety

• More than one in three students (39% of middle schoolers and 36% of high schoolers) say they don't feel safe at school and they may have good reason. There are some economic forces at work here: as the economy gets worse, unemployment rises, along with stress at home. The result may be a dangerous mixture of frustration and anxiety. This newsletter provides suggestions for recognizing student anxiety.

June, 2003: Reasons for Student Misbehavior Require Thoughtful Responses

• Many educators believe that students misbehave to achieve self-serving goals. These usually include: getting attention, seeking power, taking revenge and avoiding failure. When we look carefully at the misbehavior we can usually find that the reason lies in one of these four goals. This newsletter provides a starting point for careful examinination of student misbehavior.

May, 2003: Self-esteem and Behavior

• Students work hard partly because it helps them do better. But an intervention that encourages them to feel good about themselves regardless of work may remove the reason to work hard -- resulting in poorer performance. If you get to feel good without learning your spelling words, why bother? This newsletter takes a look at this controversy.

April, 2003: Teaching Responsibility

• This newsletter examines some techniques for teaching our students to be RESPONSIBLE for their own actions. By guiding students through a series of problem solving steps the teacher can show students how to solve their own problems and make good decisions so that those problems are not repeated.

March, 2003: Corporal Punishment Alive & Well

• Use of physical force is occurring despite growing opposition to corporal punishment. The use of corporal punishment is hard to understand since parents face criminal charges when they hit their children, police lose their jobs for beating suspects, and students are suspended or expelled for hitting others. This newsletter examines recent trends in the area of physical punishment of students and suggests some alternatives.

February, 2003: Bully Intervention: The Early Years

• Recent research shows that bullying has increased in recent years and become more vicious and cruel. The actions of bullies can result in violence and have disastrous effects. These actions have become even more alarming when we recognize the young age of some of our worst bullies. This newsletter describes some of the recent efforts at curtailing bully behavior.

January, 2003: Teen Dishonesty on the Rise Again: What can be done?

• A recent national survey has revealed some alarming findings about the lack of honesty by high school students. According to one study, high schoolers are cheating, lying and stealing more than they did a decade ago. This newsletter takes a look at this trend and suggests some ways to deal with it.

December, 2002: Breakfast And Behavior

• For years we have known that students who eat good breakfasts often do better academically than students who are hungry. But what is the impact of breakfast on classroom behavior, tardiness and absenteeism? This newsletter presents compelling evidence about the direct relationship between breakfast and behavior.

November, 2002: Upsurge in Absences from School

• Absenteeism is a growing nationwide problem for students and educators alike. When a student misses class he misses out on the building blocks necessary to be a successful student. This newsletter looks at some interesting efforts to keep students in school.

October, 2002: Teen Suicide: What Educators Should Know

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. government recently released new data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse showing that there were approximately 3 million youths aged 12 to 17 who thought seriously about suicide or attempted suicide in 2000. This newsletter provides some statistics and some thoughts regarding the role of the educator.

September, 2002: Broadening the Definition of School Violence

• School safety has been a top priority in most United States schools for close to a decade. Schools continue to be places where students turn to guns, knives, and other instruments of destruction to vent their anger. This newsletter looks at some proactive procedures to help prevent the next act of school violence.

August, 2002: Random Drug Testing for Students

• Many school teachers and administrators, in the US and abroad, were surprised with the Supreme Court ruling in June of 2002 approving random drug tests for many public high school students, ruling that schools' interest in ridding their campuses of drugs outweighs an individual's right to privacy. This newsletter looks at the court's ruling along with possible consequences for educators.

July, 2002: No Child Left Behind

• US President George Bush states "when it comes to the education of our children...failure is not an option." This newsletter recounts US Secretary of Education Paige's letter to state school superintendents. Basically, it is a call to action for today's educators to provide "quality education" and "education that works."

June, 2002: Keeping Kids Off Drugs

• If $1 billion in TV advertising can't keep kids off drugs, then what can? This newsletter looks at some suggestions: Teach coping skills, Focus on one drug at a time, Don't lecture, and Repeat the message. Suggestions and resources are provided.

May, 2002: Promoting School Connectedness

• A recent study reports that "a classroom management program that increased school connectedness and promoted self-discipline found that after one year, 30%- 100% fewer students were sent to the principal's office for acting out in class, fighting, or assault." In fact, schools may reap a "huge payoff" by training teachers more thoroughly in classroom management.

April, 2002: Principal Behaviors Impact School Climate Too

• Schools with positive cultures generally have principals who demonstrate behaviors that impact schools in positive ways. A principal's leadership style and agenda can keep a school moving forward. This newsletter lists key leadership characteristics which play an important role in the well being of a school, its staff and students.

March, 2002: Behavior Modification vs. Reflective Discipline

• If classroom discipline is to be more than a stop-gap measure and not require rigorous training in behavior psychology, educators must attack the causes of problems as well as their symptoms. When a student does something wrong it is necessary for him to realize why he misbehaved and what he can do to make changes. If this thinking process isn't part of the consequence then the problem hasn't been solved and it is quite likely to reoccur.

February, 2002: Dealing with the Bully Problem

• The "bully problem" is appearing more frequently in the media. Some newspapers not only place the blame on schools and educators, but also delineate some questionable solutions. This newsletter speaks to some of these issues and provides sensible activities for creative and thoughtful educators.

January, 2002: Traditional vs. Progressive Ways to Discipline Students

• Why do some kids keep showing up in the principal's office to serve one detention or suspension after another? In many schools students are processed through the discipline system by getting one detention, then another, then more, and then a suspension, then more suspensions and in some cases an expulsion. Relying exclusively on punishment as a consequence often results in increased negative behavior and fast tracking a student through the traditional discipline process until he or she self-destructs educationally. This newsletter looks at some options available to educators.

December, 2001: Character Education

• The events of September 11th in New York City, Washington DC and Pennsylvania served as a punctuation mark accentuating the fact that we live in a violent world. Now, more than ever, it behooves us as educators to be diligent in our efforts to educate the WHOLE child. Many claim it's no longer enough to simply teach math and reading and social studies and music, but we must also give our best effort to teaching "right from wrong."

November, 2001: Is Your Teacher Assistance Team Effective?

• Most schools have TAT teams. This newsletter delineates some thoughts about increasing the effectiveness of your TAT team. Specific ideas are mentioned and links are provided to other web sites where schools have posted interesting ideas for the organization and operation of the TAT team.

October, 2001: Violence and the Schools

• Almost 15% of students ages 12 through 19 reported experiencing various forms of victimization at school. This newsletter summarizes some of the facts regarding violence and stresses the need for educators to work to create a school environment that is inviting to all children.

September, 2001: Beyond Discipline Tips: Tools for the Classroom Teacher

• An introduction to the Classroom Discipline Toolkit. We provide information about material that helps high school teachers manage behavior problems without the need for office intervention. The focus is on designing punishments that solve problems, not create new ones.

August, 2001: Discipline Tips for the new School Year

• As a new school year gets closer, many teachers--especially new teachers will be thinking of ways to manage their classrooms. This newsletter highlights some management tips and provides samples of both elementary and secondary classroom rules to help get the new year off to a good start.

July, 2001: School Safety

• Reducing the fear about safety in your school. This newsletter addresses the need for both a safety plan and a safety audit. Safe schools require more than good fire-drill procedures. How does yours measure up?

June, 2001: Bullying is Becoming More Widespread. What to do?

• This Newsletter looks at the increasing problems associated with bullying. Some creative approaches to dealing with the problem are examined.

May, 2001: Survey Finds Unsupervised Teens Get Into More Trouble

• This Newsletter highlights a recent YMCA survey indicating a "catch-22" situation for many schools: sending students home on suspension places many students in an environment where they often get into more trouble.

April, 2001: Identifying Troubled Youth.

• This Newsletter summarizes the Early Warning/Timely Response Guide jointly developed by the U.S. Attorney General's Office and the U.S. Department of Education.

March, 2001: In School Suspension Program.

• This Newsletter provides an overview for creating and maintaining a successful In School Suspension Program.

February, 2001: Working With Local Police

• This Newsletter provides advice for working with local police officers on school discipline problems. Included are some hints as well as a few concerns.

January, 2001: Cheating

• This Newsletter summarizes the increasing problem with students and cheating in North American schools.

December, 2000: Threatening e-mail

• This Newsletter discusses the problems associated with dangerous or threatening anonymous e-mail messages sent to school or staff.

November, 2000: Students Exhibiting pre-violent Behavior

• This Newsletter discusses how your school's quick response to these early warning signs may help to prevent pre-violent behaviors from escalating into violent behavior.