Rethinking School Discipline

James Huguley, associate professor and associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion, School of Social Work

For years, we’ve known that suspending and expelling students does not improve their behavior or performance in school and can even set them on a path of interaction with the criminal justice system. But how can we change the culture of school discipline to improve student behavior and school performance?

Huguley leads initiatives seeking to train teachers to create that culture. Based on the principles of community-driven restorative practices to prevent and resolve conflicts, the Just Discipline Project works with students, teachers and research staff in Pittsburgh and Cleveland to study the impact of restorative practices on student disciplinary and academic outcomes, among other study areas.

At the heart of the initiatives is the effort to reduce racial disparities and promote positive school climate. One study, the Implementation Study and Regional Impact Model, looks at the dramatic inequalities in school discipline in the Pittsburgh region and offers remedies designed to serve as a national model, evaluates their implementation and performs a cost/benefit analysis of restorative practices in urban school contexts.

Elizabeth McGuier, assistant professor of psychiatry and pediatrics in the School of Medicine, and Ming-Te Wang, professor in the School of Education, also led Just Discipline Project initiatives. The projects are funded by the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education, among other institutions.