Monthly Archives: April 2013

New Bill Restricting Use of “Willful Defiance” Moves Forward

New Bill Restricting Use of “Willful Defiance” Moves Forward

This week, the Assembly Education Committee voted unanimously to move ahead with AB 420, which restricts the use of “willful defiance” in schools. Even though current law sites 23 other reasons for suspension and expulsions, “willful defiance” is often seen as a catch-all, and accounts for 53% of all school suspensions. New data around “willful defiance” ... Read More
 
Free Webinar April 26th:  Using Data to Make Positive Discipline Changes!

Free Webinar April 26th: Using Data to Make Positive Discipline Changes!

California educators, community organizations and students are rolling up their sleeves to make common-sense school discipline changes. Many are already reporting amazing results: more students in class and learning, fewer behavioral problems on campus, fewer suspensions and expulsions, and improved school climates. Do you want to learn lessons from successful educators and find out how ... Read More
 
Breaking News: AB 420 Passed Today!!

Breaking News: AB 420 Passed Today!!

Congratulations! AB 420 passed out of the Assembly Education Committee today with a unanimous vote and bipartisan support. The hearing was packed with students, community leaders, parents and educators standing in support as teacher and Coordinator of School Culture and Climate from Davidson Middle School told the Committee, “Suspension alienates the very students who most ... Read More
 
Media Roundup: UCLA’s ‘Out of School & Off Track’ Gains Media Interest in Restorative Justice Practices

Media Roundup: UCLA’s ‘Out of School & Off Track’ Gains Media Interest in Restorative Justice Practices

UCLA’s Monday release of their report Out of School & Off Track: The Overuse of Suspensions in American Middle and High Schools gained a lot of of media attention throughout the digital, print and televised world. This cross-section of media, both locally and nationally, is an exciting indication of a widespread desire to examine the way punitive ... Read More
 
Reduce School Suspensions, Take Action Now!

Reduce School Suspensions, Take Action Now!

A brand-new national report out today from UCLA’s Civil Rights Project reveals that the use of harsh school discipline has increased across the country. African American and Latino students, students with disabilities, and English-language learners are more likely to face harsh school discipline than other students. Even one suspension in 9th grade doubles the risk ... Read More
 
New Report: Out of School & Off Track: The Overuse of Suspensions in American Middle and High Schools

New Report: Out of School & Off Track: The Overuse of Suspensions in American Middle and High Schools

Today, UCLA’s Civil Rights Project released a new report highlighting the overuse of suspensions and the serious implications that it has on students’ trajectories including graduation rates, achievement scores, life outcomes and incarceration rates. The report looks at data from over 26,000 U.S. middle and high schools during the 2009-2010 academic year. Its findings show ... Read More
 
New York Times Article Showcases Restorative Justice Program Coordinator Eric Butler

New York Times Article Showcases Restorative Justice Program Coordinator Eric Butler

In Oakland, schools have employed restorative justice practices as an alternative to ‘”zero-tolerance” policies. Eric Butler is a coordinator of restorative justice for Ralph J. Brunche High School. We highlighted Mr. Butler and Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY) in our Fix School Discipline Toolkit The restorative justice program at Ralph J. Brunche promotes strong ... Read More
 
New Article: What the DOJ Can’t Do on School Discipline Reform

New Article: What the DOJ Can’t Do on School Discipline Reform

An excellent historical look at racial disparity in one town’s school-to-prison-pipeline. In Meridian, Mississippi, the Department of Justice initiated a case review of the town during the 2007-2008 school year, confirming that African-American students were treated more harshly than their white counterparts. During one six-year period studied, students were arrested for such simple things as ... Read More
 
Christian Science Monitor Publishes Two Articles on the School-To-Prison-Pipeline

Christian Science Monitor Publishes Two Articles on the School-To-Prison-Pipeline

Two new articles in the Christian Science Monitor focus on the school-to-prison-pipeline and restorative justice models. “School suspensions: Does racial bias feed the school-to-prison pipeline” looks nationwide, at schools’ disparity in suspension and expulsion rates for different groups and why that happens. Read more… The related article, “Restorative justice: One high school’s path to reducing ... Read More