6 Steps Towards Restorative Justice in Your School

In all the talk about the importance of reducing suspensions and other exclusionary discipline practices in schools, one question looms large for most educators and…

DeVos Will Recommend the Removal of Civil Rights Protections for Students of Color

Any day now we’re going to hear the news that Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and the Trump administration are removing guidance meant to reduce…

It’s Not ‘Inclusion’ If You Leave Out Kids With Special Needs

Way back in 1990 on this day, then-President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. The law’s provisions…

Forget About the Pipeline, School Discipline Is Already a Prison for Many Students

As I walked past the principal’s office, I could see that Jonah was sitting outside again, his small legs shaking nervously, his head hung low.…

Students Speak Out on School Suspensions

Much has been written about the negative impacts of suspending and expelling students—it leads to worse academic outcomes, increases the odds of students dropping out…

Students Don’t Learn From Suspensions But Restorative Justice Offers Opportunity

For the last few years, Chicago Public Schools has been working hard to change its discipline policies and practices to reduce suspensions and expulsions. Instead,…

Betsy DeVos on the Verge of Removing Civil Rights Protections for Students of Color

Let’s just call her Betsy DeVoid. Our secretary of education earns a name-change because of her predilection for voiding guidance that protects our most disenfranchised…

Nick Didn’t Need Another Suspension. He Needed to Know I Loved and Believed in Him.

Nick was a sixth-grader who, before joining my classroom, had been suspended from several of his previous schools. He is easy to pick out in…

It’s Time for a Discipline Revolution in Our Schools

It’s back-to-school season and, this year more than ever, it is time to rethink how we approach student discipline. Dramatic current events, a steady drumbeat…

It Won’t Always Be the Right Call But Sometimes Suspension Isn’t the Answer

Her name is Alexandra. She was a student in a school where I used to work and she was one of those kids who challenges…