The Principal: Leadership for a Global Society

Discipline: A Principal's Challenge

Contributors: By: Bruce M. Whitehead, Floyd Boschee & Robert H. Decker

Book Title: The Principal: Leadership for a Global Society
Chapter Title: "Discipline: A Principal's Challenge"
Pub. Date: 2013
Access Date: January 27, 2020
Publishing Company: SAGE Publications, Inc.
City: 55 City Road
Print ISBN: 9781412987103
Online ISBN: 9781544308609
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781544308609.n12
Print pages: 289-308
© 2013 SAGE Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This PDF has been generated from SAGE Knowledge. Please note that the pagination of the online
version will vary from the pagination of the print book.
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Discipline: A Principal's Challenge

In today's turbulent world of education, school principals face a myriad of problems—one of which is handling
behaviorally challenged students. Students who are out of control are usually young individuals who receive
little support from home, peers, or the community. Regardless of age, they come to school with huge atti-
tudes and huge chips on their shoulders. Most teachers are not equipped to deal with their issues. No one,
especially regular classroom teachers, seems to know how to help them. The record is riddled with numerous
attempts to force the will of the principal's office on troubled students just to keep the peace. Unfortunately, in
most schools, this hasn't worked.

Questions Addressed in this Chapter Include the following

1. What typifies behaviorally challenged students? Why are they a concern?
2. How are schools and federal regulations compounding the problems of discipline today?
3. What has been the principal's role in school discipline in the past? What is the principal's
role today? How has it changed?
4. Why are student behavioral issues a concern for principals outside the classroom?
5. What evidence-based strategies do principals use to address discipline problems in
schools?

High-Stakes Behaviorally Challenged Students

Who are these high-stakes behaviorally challenged students? In reviewing the literature, a high percentage
of them have moderate to severe behavior problems as well as self-control issues. Historically, they do not
generally respond to regular interventions.

Key to Leadership
Researchers are finding numerous links between student feelings of belongingness and to motivation-
al, attitudinal, and behavioral factors.

Most behaviorally challenged students come from dysfunctional families—and yet, not all do. But almost all
have had some type of exposure to risk factors that make them unprepared for the demands of school. Ac-
cording to Harvard Professor Ross Greene (2008), much of what teachers say about troubled kids includes:

• He just wants attention (student seeking attention in maladaptive way).

• He just wants his own way (perception is “It's all about me”).
• He's manipulating us (a common victim refrain).
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• He's not motivated (perception of laziness).

• He's making bad choices (lack of ability to make good choices).
• His parents are incompetent disciplinarians (a common view of poor parenting).
• He has a bad attitude (often accompanied with bad language).
• He has a mental illness (desire for the student to be medically tested).
• He has ADD or ADHD (desire to label child with an attention disorder).
• He has fetal alcohol syndrome (relate problems to family alcohol abuse).
• He is the child of drug abuse (relate problems to family drug addiction).
• His brother is the same way (making a link to genetics).

As is often the case, teachers can have strong feelings and beliefs about students with behavioral issues.
Many staff members are frustrated and do not know how to help these students—and many of these same
teachers are concerned about other students in their classroom who come to school ready to learn.

From a student perspective, there is a clear theoretical baseline tying students' feelings of emotional security
to their inability to focus on school as well as their inability to stay out of trouble. Greene (2008) cites a series
of skills frequently found lagging in challenging students (p. 163):

• Difficulty handling transitions, shifting from one mindset or task to another (shifting cognitive set)
• Difficulty in doing tasks in a logical sequence or prescribed order
• Difficulty reflecting multiple thoughts or ideas simultaneously
• Difficulty maintaining focus for goal-directed problem solving
• Difficulty in understanding what is said
• Chronic irritability and/or anxiety significantly impeding capacity for problem solving
• Inflexible, inaccurate interpretations; cognitive distortions or biases (e.g., “Everyone's out to get me,”
“Nobody likes me,” “You always blame me,” “It's not fair,” “I'm stupid.”)
• Difficulty attending to and/or accurately interpreting social cues; poor perception of social nuances
• Difficulty empathizing with others, appreciating another person's perspective or point of view

Greene's partial list of lagging skills does help principals place behaviorally challenged students in a different
light. Furthermore, researchers are now finding numerous links between a student's feeling of belongingness
and to motivational, attitudinal, and behavioral factors (Protheroe, 2007). This was the case involving a lon-
gitudinal study done by Project REACH that found numerous risk factors such as parental incarceration, mo-
bility, parent drug and alcohol use, and others that were associated with behavioral problems (Kern, White, &
Gresham, 2007).

Other risk factors might include sexual abuse, neglect, and abandonment, as well as a host of other societal
ills. For instance, one anecdotal example shares how a third-grade Montana student came home each night
to an abusive parent. The boy's father, in a drunken stupor, would take a revolver, load a bullet, and then
spin the gun's chrome cylinder—just prior to giving the gun to the boy. The father then made the boy put the
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revolver to his dad's head and commanded him to pull the trigger. If the child did not do as he was told, he
would be beaten severely. After the trigger was pulled and the gun did not fire, he father would laugh while
taunting the crying, traumatized boy. This episode would be repeated night after night. Finally, the child got up
enough courage to tell his principal, who quickly contacted authorities. With no time wasted, the police came
and removed the boy from the home and arrested the father. Unfortunately, this is a true story.

All across the nation, traumatized kids, just like this third-grade boy, get up each morning, go to school, and
undergo the pressures of testing, deal with other troubled kids, and at the same time try to keep up with a del-
uge of daily assignments. Many of these same students, experiencing problems at home, enter school with
little or no academic readiness and have an arduous time keeping up with the fast pace of academics. Yet
very few adults are shocked when these kids wind up in the principal's office—in trouble.

Making Critical Connections

Tip for Principals: 12.1

In every school and in every setting, every principal needs to take the responsibility to learn about their
students.

Teaching hard-to-reach kids can be labor intensive. Most behaviorally challenged students are unresponsive
to regular classroom-type interventions. Educators need to take extraordinary measures to connect with
unique and sometimes difficult students. As part of this process, principals and teachers need to make a per-
sonal connection by demonstrating a caring attitude. They need to assure these emotionally damaged and
anxiety-ridden students that they are safe while at school.

Problematic School Settings

Tip for Principals: 12.2

Unrealistic expectations (on the part of both student and adult) are generally at the heart of most be-
havioral problems.

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With everyone easily frustrated and discouraged due to constantly dealing with out-of-control students, faculty
and staff members have little time for any real academic instruction. This creates some real tension. Even-
tually, teacher and principal frustration boils over into reactive, punitive, and exclusionary demands. The key
then is for effective school principals to reverse these characteristics and school principals to reverse these
characteristics and emphasize a proactive, positive approach—and, by explicitly teaching students expecta-
tions for appropriate behavior, make a meaningful difference in a school's culture (McCloud, 2005). This can
be done by evoking a series of steps listed.

Step 1. Take surveys of school populations and obtaining objective data. By analyzing data, princi-
pals can quickly identify discipline areas requiring immediate attention.

Step 2. Involve the whole school and community in the process to provide ownership and commit-
ment. It is the principal's job to scrutinize every aspect of the school and involve every member.

Step 3. Each teacher must become responsible for planning and implementing an effective behavior
management plan in her or his classroom. All lesson plans should be written with a proactive ap-
proach to teaching positive student behavior. And it is the principal's responsibility to make sure this
happens.

Step 4. Know students by name and insist that both adults and students treat each other with re-
spect. Students need to feel safe.

As shown, when principals use objective data to drive change and insist on accountability from everyone,
positive change can occur. When everyone changes his or her behavior from reactive to proactive, people
become calmer and there is an atmosphere of caring and community.

Tip for Principals: 12.3

Principals will have to work smarter at discipline to be successful.

But installing a new discipline system, a new way of management, is never easy. Bringing about change is
sometimes a struggle, so principals must make sure all staff members share their outcomes—that the entire
staff feels involved. The bottom line for principals is to know that putting time up front into proactive proce-
dures will pay off down the line. As part of expanding a schoolwide plan, the following models provide a set of
examples of how schools are incorporating effective discipline programs.

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Behavior Intervention Models

New strategies are emerging in the form of behavior intervention models. These models provide a more struc-
tured, consistent, and supportive classroom environment.

Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support Model

The schoolwide Positive Behavior Support Model emerged as a highly promising three-level model. Aimed at
all levels of students, the model works to eliminate 80% of behavioral issues. About 15% of students may re-
quire more intensive interventions, as well as supplemental academic or social skills. Roughly 5% will require
the most intensive and individualized intervention (Kern, White, & Gresham, 2007).

Coloroso Model
According to Barbara Coloroso (2009), students can develop self-discipline if treated with respect and given
responsibilities and choices. They must also experience reasonable and realistic consequences for those
choices. Children need to be taught how to think, not just what to think. Showing students what they have
done wrong, giving them ownership of the problem, and showing them ways to solve problems allows them
to keep their dignity intact.

Canter's Assertive Discipline

Lee Canter's (Canter & Canter, 2006) Assertive Discipline Program establishes a systematic way of dealing
with the misbehavior of today's students. The program underscores the concept that the teacher is the boss
of the classroom. No student has the right to stop a teacher from teaching or another student from learning.
Canter's program stresses that effective discipline is balancing disciplinary actions with frequent positive sup-
port of students' commendable and appropriate behavior.

Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP)

The Olweus Program (pronounced Ol-VEY-us; the E sounds like a long A) is a comprehensive, schoolwide
behavior program designed and evaluated for use in elementary, middle, junior high, and high schools. Pro-
gram goals include reducing and preventing bullying problems among schoolchildren and improving peer re-
lations at school. The program has been found to reduce bullying among children, improve the social climate
of classrooms, and reduce related antisocial behaviors, such as vandalism and truancy. The Olweus Program
has been implemented in more than a dozen countries around the globe and in thousands of schools in the
United States. Schools from around the world gather data and provide research about bullying issues and
prevention (Hazelden Foundation, 2007).

State Behavior Initiative Model

The Montana Behavioral Initiative (MBI, 2010) is just one example of a state-operated behavioral institute
that assists educators, parents, and other community members in developing attitudes, skills, and systems
necessary to ensure that each student, regardless of ability or disability, leaves public education and enters
the community with social and academic competence. MBI is only one example of a state behavioral institute;
there are many throughout the country.

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In sum, each of these models gives a different and unique perspective on how to deal with moderately to
severely behaviorally challenged students. Each provides a plethora of intervention strategies blended with
interesting instruction. Regardless of which model is chosen, it is important for principals to promote a posi-
tive, safe school culture, support an effective instructional program, apply best practices, and design a com-
prehensive professional growth plan for all students, as noted by ELCC Standard #2.

Leader Action
A major part of principal success in the area of discipline is having the larger understanding of what is hap-
pening (ELCC Standard #6) and identifying problems and determining what leadership is expected to do.
Effective discipline practices in schools seem to fall into four distinct categories—problem identification, de-
manding change, influence beyond the classroom, and program evaluation (Protheroe, 2010).

Problem Identification and Resolution

Tip for Principals: 12.4

Smart principals learn to get the most difficult students on track academically.

Academic Pressure and Lagging Skills

There appears to be a direct link between academics and student behavior. According to Harvard Professor
Ross Greene (2008), there is a huge difference between interpreting the lagging skills as “excuses” rather
than as “explanations.” The bottom line is that behaviorally challenged students who are not doing well acad-
emically will usually find ways to disrupt class. Disruptions might involve harassing teachers or other students,
throwing desks, or just walking out.

Pressuring students who cannot meet academic skill demands can exacerbate an already festering problem.
Many of these students come from a home life that is already out of control. Thus, students experiencing
problems at home will try to seek control at school and in the classroom. When they find they cannot control
situations at school, they act out. Things become volatile fast.

Building-level administrators searching for solutions are finding clear schedules and modifications of daily rou-
tine do help many of these students stay on track. Fortunately, high-interest curriculum and intensive instruc-
tion using evidence-based strategies seem to be working as well. In this regard, relating topics to everyday
experiences does garner and maintain interest and helps keep students who are normally wayward academ-
ically on task.

Principals are also finding that giving behaviorally challenged students modified academic choices can allow
for student success. For academically low students, giving them a choice also gives them a sense of having

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some control in their lives. Technically, it is important to note classroom teachers are still in control—even
though a student has a perception of choice, all decisions are actually made by the instructor. Just having
a perception of choice, however, may be all that is needed. The key here is that successful principals and
teachers are finding ways of getting academic compliance out of some of the most behaviorally challenged
students. Working smarter is certainly better than working harder.

Special Assistance
Whenever possible, it often helps when principals provide extra assistance in the classroom. This can be a
point of contention and is not always feasible—but it does help when local leaders can make it happen. But
if principals are at a meeting or busy with a parent and not available, then other measures must be taken.
Being resourceful and obtaining assistance for teachers should be an important element of every schoolwide
discipline program.

Innovative Strategies
Principals need to encourage teachers to use classroom peers who can help with instruction. This is just one
type of innovative strategy. Further, it should be noted that peers teaching peers can be very effective. In ad-
dition, principals learn the value of behavior modification programs and motivate teachers to effectively use
reasonable and continually modified point systems. These types of behavior modification programs take skill
and training and are not always accepted by everyone, but they have proven to be successful for many teach-
ers.

With demands of typical school environments, principals also encourage teachers to use alternative methods
for completing assignments. For example, compacting (reducing assignments) can be very effective. There
seems to be little reason to make an already defiant student complete 30 math problems when 5 (correct
problems) will demonstrate knowledge of the skill. Another effective strategy includes decreasing class time
and providing intervals or a change of venue every 15 minutes.

Looping teachers is another important strategy. Once behaviorally challenged students learn to work cooper-
atively with a teacher, it is sometimes beneficial to keep the student and teacher together at least for several
years. According to Pratt (2009), looping is the perfect scenario in that the teacher is completely familiar with
a child's work habits and capabilities. Furthermore, the curriculum is consistent and there are no concerns
over what is covered or not covered. In addition, there is no unnecessary time spent on duplicated materials.
Therefore, schoolwide efforts, such as looping and other strategies, do much to develop continuous positive
feedback and help formulate positive student–teacher reactions.

Bullying. Bullying is defined as repeated acts over time that involve a real or perceived imbalance of pow-
er—especially with the more powerful child or group attacking those who are less powerful. Bullying can be
verbal harassment, physical assault, or other more subtle methods of coercion such as manipulation (U.S.
Department of Justice, 2010). A national survey of principals noted half of the respondents related bullying as
a serious problem in their schools. According to Zirkel (2008), principals can address the problem of bullying
by implementing a series of antibullying policies. Antibullying policies include

• Requiring staff training, including “responsive classroom” workshops

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• Contracting with private security guards

• Using specialized computer software programs to regularly compile and report disciplinary data
• Implementing a solutions team—including the principal, counselors, and community social workers
• Hiring a behavior specialist with specific background in defusing conflicts
• Establishing partnerships with local universities and colleges

Thus, principals can address bullying and negative behaviors by creating a school culture in which students
focus on their similarities rather than their differences. As part of this process Murawski, Lockwood, Khalili,
and Johnston (2010) list a series of strategies to maintain a bully-free school. A partial list of bully-free strate-
gies includes:

• Signage—Setting the right tone is done by posting signs around the school promoting a safe environ-
ment. A leadership committee made up of teachers and students help make, post, and enforce the
signs. A typical sign might read, “This is a violence-free, abuse-free, and bully-free school. Please
show kindness and respect in your words and actions.”
• Lunch clubs—At the secondary level, this gives students an opportunity for social interaction without
sacrificing class time.
• Student activities—As part of lunch club, students can choose a different activity every day—a dance
on Monday, karaoke on Tuesday, movies on Wednesday, origami on Thursday, and art on Friday.
• Pairing students with disabilities—Students with disabilities are paired with other students throughout
the day to provide support.
• No-name-calling week—Students participate in a no-name-calling week in order to focus on reducing
teasing and social isolation. This helps increase tolerance for students who might be targeted for
their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or mental ability.
• Antibullying website—Students using the website consider the difference between good-natured
teasing and bullying by discussing fictional scenarios and reflecting on real-life situations. Another
website celebrates the International Day of Pink, which helps provide support for individuals with dif-
ferent sexual orientations.
• Brochures—Flyers are sent home encouraging students to take a stand against bullying, harass-
ment, hate, and violence.
• Video discussion—Students view and discuss the film Let's Get Real, a documentary in which “actual
middle school youth—not adults or actors—speak candidly and from the heart about their painful ex-
periences with name-calling and bullying.”
• Special programs—Some principals are implementing such programs as Second Step, a schoolwide
research-based violence-prevention program. This program and others like it teaches problem solv-
ing, emotional management, impulse control, and empathy.

From a building-level perspective, these strategies help enhance student and faculty understanding of the
importance of tolerance and positive school culture. Such strategies do help reduce bullying and violence in
schools.

Making personal connections. Regardless of the level or degree of any disciplinary problem, a simple ad-
ministrative key to improving student behavior should include a personal interest on the part of the principal.
A great way to develop a personal interest theme is to evoke three important keys: respect, responsibility, and
recognition. Successful principals and faculty use these keys all the time. They ask, who is this individual?
What is this individual's special strength or skill? And does this individual have a special aptitude in art, me-
chanics, or some other area of expertise?

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Tip for Principals: 12.5

A caring principal can convey both real and yet high expectations.

If students believe a school principal likes them, respects them, and values them, much can be done. An
anecdotal story involves a disruptive high school student drawing a picture on a desktop in study hall. Just as
the teen finishes the sketch, a principal (a big, burly guy) comes up and towers over him. You can imagine
how this kid feels being caught with pencil in hand. But an unusual thing happens. After complimenting the
student on his/her artistic skills and pointing out specific details on the drawing, the man explains why the
desk is probably not the best place to do artwork. Then the principal asks the student how he might obtain a
drawing for his office. As the big man walks away, the student hurriedly erases the drawing. Miraculously, the
student never draws another picture on a desk, improves his attitude, and eventually becomes a successful
artist later in life. This is a true story that demonstrates how a principal showed respect for a student, recog-
nized his special talent, and gave him the responsibility of providing artwork for the high school. This example
shows how a caring principal can convey both real and yet high expectations. In the end, a problem-centered
student felt respected and valued—the encounter changed his life.

Demanding Results
Targeting specific change. Effective principals concentrate on a limited number of changes to achieve early
successes in behavior management. Developing a student assistance team (SAT) composed of a principal,
teachers, counselors, and parents can help specify specific students, procedures, policies, and/or areas of
change.

Developing core leadership. In developing core leadership, it is important for building-level principals to
make sure staff members are motivated to address behavioral issues and demonstrate they are inducing
change. Having several teachers from each grade level who are willing to help with criticism or push-back
from other teachers can make a huge difference in improving a school's discipline program.

Collect and analyze discipline data. If a principal wants to improve student discipline, he or she has to use
data. Much research indicates that making good use of data is a common characteristic of effective schools
and districts (Cawelti & Prothero, 2001).

As part of being a data-smart school, building-level administrators are finding ways to collect and analyze ac-
curate discipline data on a day-to-day basis. Knowing what, where, and when student infractions happen and
how they are being handled is crucial to the process.

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Tip for Principals: 12.6

Successful principals use longitudinal data to follow students over time.

Using data effectively requires data tools. Today, school-based databases can be linked to discipline-manage-
ment systems. A principal looking up a student with a discipline infraction can also retrieve general database
information such as teachers, classes, absences, tardies, grades, address, parents, and so on. Thus, school
administrators have the ability to cross-reference and retrieve all student data.

Sharing data. Researcher Victoria Bernhardt (2005) notes, “A well-designed system enables school leaders
to study important measures of student engagement, such as attendance, discipline, and suspensions, and to
fully analyze problems before attempting a solution” (p. 67). School administrators using discipline data sys-
tems are able to perform such statistical procedures as analyzing longitudinal data, disaggregating data, and
following a group of students over time. For example, a principal can follow a student's history backward from
time of last infraction to all previous problems, comparing a list of factors. Data tools defined by Bernhardt
(2005, p. 69) include the following:

• A database is a system of organized information that is easily retrievable—preferably electronically.

Telephone numbers and addresses are common databases that are organized to make information
easy to find.
• Student information systems are databases that electronically collect and organize data concerning
characteristics of the student population and school processes. Such a system makes it easy to
collect and consolidate data about many factors, such as student attendance; discipline referrals;
number of students of a certain gender, ethnicity, or family income; student course assignments and
schedules; and specialized school programs.
• Educational data warehouses allow the manipulation and integration of multiple databases connect-
ed to one another through individual student and teacher identification numbers, as well as through
class schedules that link students to teachers. An excellent educational data warehouse will link to-
gether student demographic and grading data from your student information system to standardized
student test scores that might come from a testing company to program data in a separate database.
One can access these different types of data for an individual student without needing to re-enter the
basic student information each time. Data warehouses allow longitudinal and comprehensive data
analyses with multiple variables from multiple sources.
• Instructional management systems aid teachers in aligning lessons to standardized learning objec-
tives, provide instructional resources and assessments, and measure student performance on learn-
ing objectives.

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According to the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST), five
core skills or steps have been identified for using data effectively (Cawelti & Prothero, 2001). They are as
follows.

Five Steps to Effective Data Use

Step 1. Determine what you want to know. Questions begin the process of investigation and determine what
data will be collected. Questions often fall into the categories of general, drill-down, and interpretive.

Step 2. Collect data. This step involves gathering existing data or generating new data to answer initial ques-
tions.

Step 3. Analyze results. Planning and action depend on the capacity of administrators to analyze data accu-
rately and to make inferences.

Step 4. Set priorities and goals. Once data are collected and analyzed, it is important to identify priorities and
set goals. As part of this process, it is important not to address too many needs in order to make achievable
targets.

Step 5. Develop strategies. Knowing what to do and how to do it is a fundamental part of the process. Provid-
ing a combination of targets and strategies will provide pathways to achieve goals.

Principals using the steps above can obtain and cross-reference discipline data with academic information
and look for any correlations among classes, teachers, grades, gender, ethnicity, income, and other social
and demographic factors. This allows principals to make a better and more informed discipline decision on
behalf of the school and the student. Without using data to inform at every step of the process, principals will
probably not reach their goals for school improvement (Heritage & Chen, 2009).

Setting up a discipline plan. Developing a discipline plan is a major part of school success. Principal Jan
Borelli (2007) notes some of the following elements that can make up a successful discipline program.

Basic Elements of the Process

Faculty advisory committee for discipline. Along with the principal, at least two individuals from each grade
level as well as the school counselor should be members.

Time to meet and discuss. Principals need to arrange a specific time and location for a meeting to review
discipline issues. Members are asked to consult with other teachers to determine discipline concerns and so-
lutions.

Develop a vision. It is crucial for the advisory group to define and share a vision of discipline at the school.

Define classroom rules. Committee members need to formulate no more than four or five classroom rules.
These rules should be well posted in classrooms as well as be very visually prominent throughout the school.

Define school rules. General school rules for hallways, bathrooms, playground, and lunchroom need to be
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defined as well.

Define positive consequences. Good behavior is rewarded. Teachers and committee members can help
design ways to positively reinforce good behavior.

Defining intolerable behavior. These behaviors must be clearly defined for immediate action by staff.

Outline process for teacher referral. This is a fundamental part of the discipline plan. It describes in detail
the steps teachers should take before referring students to the principal. Along with this process are the steps
of meeting in a designated room to discuss problems; contacting a parent or guardian; referring student (with
parent approval) to guidance counselor; referral to in-school suspension or detention; and referral to principal
along with steps previously taken beforehand.

Levels of Infractions
Lower-level infractions include talking out loud, running in hallways, misusing equipment, and so forth and
can be handled through student written or verbal responses. Depending on grade level and age, students
are asked to take time and reflect on their behavior and develop some strategies for how to handle the same
issue differently in the future.

Higher-level infractions can include: damaging or stealing property; physical abuse or harm by hitting, kick-
ing, spitting, or roughing; direct defiance or disrespect of authority; throwing objects in a disruptive, danger-
ous, or malicious manner; disrespectful, abusive language or gestures; continuous disruptive behavior; and
possession or use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, weapons, or pornographic material.

Tip for Principals: 12.7

Zero-tolerance policies can be problematic for principals.

These higher levels can be processed through a disciplinary plan, school mental health program, or at the
level of the principal or superintendent, depending on reoccurrence and severity. Discipline may include in-
school suspension and out-of-school suspension as well as expulsion.

According to Zaslaw (2009), some principals prefer to use restorative dispute resolution (RDR) as an ap-
proach to conflict resolution rather than reactive approaches such as zero tolerance, including out-of-school
suspension and expulsion. A problem with zero tolerance is that it has a tendency to become a one-size-fits-
all solution to school problems. In contrast, restorative practices provide high levels of control and support,
which encourage appropriate behavior, and place the responsibility for resolution on students themselves.
This is accomplished by using cognitive-behavioral process (role playing, discussion, feedback, demonstra-

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tion, activities) among the stakeholders. They include the offending student, his or her parents or support
group, the victim, his or her parents or support group, and a trained facilitator (Zaslaw, 2009, p. 48).

Tip for Principals: 12.8

Everyone at school needs to be on the same page when it comes to handling behaviorally challenged
students.

Whether one approach is better than another is up to individual principals and individual schools. Suggestions
listed here for a discipline plan are not all inclusive but do give a general understanding how principals can
formulate and guide the discipline planning process.

Implementing professional development. Once a discipline plan is in place, successful administrators need
to be dutiful in providing quality staff training in the area of discipline and behavioral management. Getting
timely training for all staff is crucial for the success of any discipline program. Furthermore, sending more than
one individual to a conference involving discipline and behavior issues can be helpful. Teachers need to talk
to teachers as well as visit about program change before implementation. When at least two people attend a
conference together, they are able form a strong grade-level partnership.

Managing Behavior beyond the Classroom

Communicating vision of effective discipline program. Successful school principals realize that develop-
ing a clear vision and clear picture of the school's discipline program is vital to school reform. With the concern
of widening behavioral challenges, schools need a systematic approach to dealing with discipline problems.
Due to the scope and nature of behavioral issues, building-level leaders today need to apply consistent and
uniform consequences with integrity. Thus, developing schoolwide individualized management plans for stu-
dents both in and outside of school is becoming a requirement for most principals.

Getting stakeholders to buy in. Gaining the support and vested interest of stakeholders in the community
helps solidify the school's discipline program. Having PTA as well as business leaders behind the school's
discipline program is important when suspending or expelling a student.

Evaluation of Discipline Program

Checking progress. Successful principals build effective systems to measure and report results, and they
relate to the school's discipline program. Almost every act of students can be tracked and evaluated (Mar-
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tinez, 2009). Tracking and evaluating discipline allows the leadership team to focus on what is working and
what is not.

Providing feedback for program change. Providing and using feedback from the evaluation process helps
set the stage for making future decisions regarding discipline program changes. This is a key component
when making major revisions. Both surveys and walkthroughs can be effective ways to obtain feedback for
program change.

Informal surveys can provide much information about a school's discipline program. According to
Western Washington University assistant professor and former principal Mary Lynne Derrington (2009), “The
use of surveys in the educational community has grown remarkably as a method to collect data and present
evidence in high-stakes decisions” (p. 46). To obtain accurate discipline data and reliable information from
surveys, it is important for principals to focus on well-designed questions and response choices.

Walkthroughs are another important source for principals to collect data and be able to determine how stu-
dents are coping with the rigors of school (Gilliland, 2007). During walkthroughs, school leaders can focus on
and target specific behaviorally challenged students and note the effectiveness of discipline strategies being
used. Of particular importance are those moments when a student is being excessively belligerent. A down-
side to this process is that it does sometimes put a classroom teacher and a student in a type of goldfish bowl
setting, but it also helps principals better understand discipline in action.

Creating Supportive School Environments

Building a positive school climate should be a number-one priority for school principals. Thus, providing a
variety of positive strategies can make the difference in contributing to a school's effort in building a sense
of community. Just as important is being fair to all students, making wise choices, and remaining ethical and
above reproach in all situations (ELCC Standard #5). This is how principals can be supportive.

As can be seen, a key for providing discipline in schools is the process of creating supportive school envi-
ronments. Principals who develop caring schools as well as safe, welcoming schools are principals who are
addressing the needs of all children—including moderately and severely behaviorally challenged children.

Summary
In retrospect, this chapter provides a strong case why discipline is often at the heart of any successful acade-
mic school. Creating a safe and positive learning climate for students needs to be the focus of every success-
ful principal. The hallmark of effective behavior management is developing comprehensive programming that
extends across all aspects of school. Furthermore, helping students—and specifically behaviorally challenged
students—develop strategies for coping with typical school environments is fundamental to school success.
With this in mind, our most effective principals place their highest priority on people and relationships—on
how teachers connect with students—and how students connect with each other. But in the end, making it all
happen is the job of the principal.

Applications
1. Why is discipline an important part of the principal's job?

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2. Should schools have zero-tolerance policies in dealing with behaviorally challenged stu-
dents? Why or why not?
3. Why is building connections and trust with behaviorally challenged students an important
part of leadership?
4. A first grader in a rural school accidentally leaves his small Swiss Army knife in his back-
pack after a camping trip in the woods. His teacher notices the knife. Board policy clearly
states any student bringing a knife to school is to be expelled. How should the principal
handle this tricky situation?
5. Develop a scenario of working with a troubled new student who has only been in school
a few days, already has had several fights, hates school, and his homeroom teacher dis-
likes him. Provide several strategies as to what you would do as principal.
6. As a principal, how might you implement a new discipline program in your school? What
practical applications and strategies might you use?

Case Study: A Problem of Roles. Who is in Charge?

Players
Fourth-grade teachers, Meadow Hill Elementary School, East Falls School District

Arlan Reese, principal, Meadow Hill Elementary School

Dr. Dorothy Sadler, director of special education, East Falls School District

Setting
Elementary school principal's office

Scenario
Several fourth-grade teachers dash into Principal Reese's office in a rage. They angrily protest that a boy from
the fifth grade cornered, kicked, and punched a fourth-grade girl in the face at recess. The girl is being attend-
ed to by the nurse and may have a broken nose and possibly a cracked rib. According to witnesses on the
playground, the attack was totally unprovoked. The boy wanted her playground ball and he took it—forcibly.

The fourth-grade teachers, sounding totally frustrated, explain this special education boy has been bullying
and hurting other children on the playground for weeks and nothing is being done. Evidently, Dorothy Sadler,
the district's special education director, told staff that she—not the principal—is in charge of all federally pro-
tected special-needs children and will determine all disciplinary actions for special education students. Too
complicate matters further, the district superintendent is friends with and totally supportive of Dr. Sadler, the
special education director.

The Challenge
Analyze the nature of the Principal Reese's problem. What are teachers suggesting? Who is in charge—the
special education director or the building principal? Why or why not?
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Key Issues/Questions
1. How should Principal Reese respond to the fourth-grade teachers? What action should
he take regarding the special education student?
2. Are federally protected special-needs students treated differently in regard to school dis-
cipline? Are special education students under a different set of school discipline rules and
guidelines? If so, how do building-level principals address these issues?
3. How common is concern over disciplinary issues between special education personnel
and regular classroom teachers? And how might principals resolve this conflict within their
buildings?
4. Might there be a conflict of interest between special education directors and building-level
principal as to how special needs students are to be disciplined? Why or why not?
5. Why is it becoming important for principals to become knowledgeable about programs
dealing with behaviorally challenging students?
6. What are some disciplinary challenges principals will face in the future?

Webliography
Association for Positive Behavior Support

• www.apbs.org

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

• www.ascd.org

Behavior Home Page

• http://www.state.ky.us/agencies/behave/homepage.html

Consortium on Chicago School Research

• http://uei.uchicago.edu/tags/university-chicago-consortium-chicago-school-research

Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders

• www.ccbd.net

Educating Students with Behavioral Challenges

• http://www.naesp.org/resources/2/Principal/2007/M-Ap56.pdf

Every Child Learning: Safe and Supportive Schools

• http://learningfirst.org/publications/safeschools/

Heart of a Caring School

• www.devstu.org/about/articles/heart_of_caring_school.html

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Montana Behavioral Initiative

• http://www.opi.mt.gov/mbi/

National Association of Elementary School Principals

• http://www.naesp.org/

National Association of Secondary School Principals

• http://www.principals.org

School Turnarounds: A Review of the Cross-Sector Evidence on Dramatic Organizational Improvement

• www.centerii.org/survey/downloads/Turnarounds-Color.pdf

The District Leadership Challenge: Empowering Principals to Improve Teaching and Learning

• http://publications.sreb.org/2009/09V11_District_Leadership_Challenge_color.pdf

Note: Web resources are time and date sensitive. Web-sites listed above may become inactive at any time.

References
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Zaslaw J. (2009). A restorative approach to resolving conflict. Principal, 89(2), 48.

Zirkel P.A. (2008). Bullying. Principal, 88(1), 64–65.

• discipline
• school discipline
• suspension (school)
• bullying
• special education
• students
• National Association of Elementary School Principals

http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781544308609.n12

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