Discipline Should Teach, Not Simply Punish
Schoolwide discipline is one of the most challenging responsibilities in educational leadership because there is rarely a single response that works in every situation. For this reason, as in most aspects of public education, a one size fits all discipline program rarely works.
Schools need clear expectations and students need accountability. Teachers need environments where they can teach without persistent disruption, and families need confidence that their children are learning in a safe and structured environment.
At the same time, discipline should accomplish more than simply delivering a consequence.
The most effective schoolwide discipline systems should help students understand expectations, recognize the impact of their choices, and develop the skills necessary to make better decisions in the future. This is where approaches such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, commonly known as PBIS, and restorative justice can play an important role.
Neither approach is a replacement for discipline, which is often a big misconception. They are tools that can help schools build a more thoughtful and consistent approach to discipline, while encouraging accountability and reducing repeated concerns.
Classroom Behavior Should Be Assessed from Multiple Angles and Perspectives
It is easy for any school administrator to view a teacher’s behavioral referral as simply the student “acting out, being defiant, or causing disruption” and then provide a basic consequence such as detention or loss of privileges.
Does this tell the entire story or act to fix the larger issues that may present? A teacher’s approach to classroom instruction, and how they react to student disruption are factors that a school administration should ………….
This is not to place blame on a teacher for student behavior, but rather serve as an additional factor that could lead to increased student behaviors.
Classroom instruction that relies heavily on teacher-led lecturing and limited opportunity for students to work collaboratively with each other usually leads to students disengagement and disruption. Classrooms that I have observed that are more student facing, where teachers serve as facilitators of learning, are they ones that are most engaging and less problematic.
In the same vein, how a teacher responds to student disruption can immediately impact the severity of the concern. Teachers who are trained and/or able to de-escalate a frustrated student, are usually able to contain the behavioral concern to the classroom, and reduce the need to send the student out. This is not easy, and requires high levels of patience, practice, and true understanding of each student in the classroom.
PBIS Starts Before the Problem
One of the strengths of PBIS is that it emphasizes prevention and proactive approaches to campus culture.
Rather than waiting for a student to violate a rule and then determining what consequence should follow, schools establish clear behavioral expectations and intentionally teach students what those expectations look like.
That distinction is important.
We routinely teach students academic skills because we cannot assume they will automatically know how to perform a complicated task. Behavioral expectations deserve the same level of clarity. Students should understand what appropriate behavior looks like in a classroom, hallway, cafeteria, athletic environment, or other school setting.
When expectations are clearly taught and consistently reinforced, students have a better opportunity to meet them. That said, similar to any educational program/initiative, fidelity and consistency to the program is essential. Schools that set up a PBIS model and nurture it to become part of the school’s daily culture rather than a program that exists on paper, are the ones that will see its effectiveness.
Incorporating student voice into PBIS construction and practice, leads to more buy-in and ownership of the program’s purpose.
Consistency Is More Important Than Complexity
A school does not need an elaborate discipline system to be effective.
It needs a system that adults understand and can apply consistently.
When expectations change depending on the classroom, administrator, or circumstance, students can become confused about what is expected of them. Teachers can also become frustrated when they believe behavioral concerns are being handled inconsistently.
Effective school leadership requires creating enough consistency that everyone understands the basic framework while still allowing administrators to consider individual circumstances. With that consistency, a discipline program that promotes accountability and growth mindset, are the most effective to improving student behavior.
Consistency does not mean treating every situation identically. It means applying clear principles in an equitable way.
Restorative Justice As a Different Kind of Conversation
Restorative justice approaches discipline from a different angle.
Instead of focusing exclusively on what rule was broken and what consequence should follow, restorative practices can ask additional questions. Who was affected? What happened? What responsibility does the student have? What needs to happen to repair the situation?
Those questions can change the nature of a disciplinary conversation.
Accountability remains central. In fact, restorative approaches can require students to take a more active role in understanding the consequences of their actions.
The objective is not to avoid consequences. It is to make the response meaningful.
Accountability and Restoration Are Not Opposites
I believe one of the most important misconceptions about restorative justice is that accountability and discipline are somehow competing ideas.
They are not.
A student can be held responsible for an action while also being given an opportunity to understand its impact and repair the harm. In many situations, that can produce a more meaningful educational experience than a consequence alone.
The question school leaders should ask is not simply, “What punishment is appropriate?” but rather, “What does the student need to learn from this situation?”
That shift does not eliminate responsibility. It gives responsibility a purpose.
Not Every Situation Calls for the Same Response
Another important principle is that effective discipline requires judgment.
There will be situations where a restorative conversation is appropriate. There will be situations where additional interventions are necessary. There will also be circumstances where a serious consequence is warranted.
Good educational leadership means understanding the circumstances, considering the student’s history and needs, protecting the broader school community, and determining an appropriate response. This along with the opportunity to restore harm while utilizing an MTSS approach to provide additional services for the student, constitute a plan to address the whole child, not just their actions.
Building a Culture Instead of Managing Incidents
Ultimately, the purpose of a strong discipline system is not to make administrators better at responding to referrals.
It is to create a school where fewer problems require that level of intervention in the first place.
That requires clear expectations, strong relationships, consistent communication, meaningful accountability, and adults who are willing to address their own instructional whether their practice and responsiveness
PBIS can help schools build the preventative foundation. Restorative justice can provide another pathway for addressing harm and rebuilding relationships. Strong educational leadership connects those approaches into a coherent schoolwide system.
The most successful discipline models do not ask schools to choose between structure and understanding. They recognize that students need both.
A school should be a place where expectations are clear, accountability is real, and mistakes can become opportunities for learning. When those principles work together, discipline becomes more than a reaction to misconduct. It becomes part of the educational process itself.