Discipline

Should cell phones be banned from all California schools?

August 29, 2024

Many school districts have taken steps to ban or restrict cell phones and smart watches in the classroom, to curb bullying, distraction and addiction.

Zaidee Stavely

Commentary

Restorative practices create belonging and trust for teachers as well as students

October 18, 2022

A punitive approach to students' missteps does nothing to show them that adults care about them.

Louise Williamson

Commentary

We need to fix professional development for teachers

September 26, 2022

Instead of long, arduous training about content they are already experts in, schools should offer training that is engaging and focused on content enrichment.

Kati Begen

Hope, relief and lessons learned: Teachers anticipate a smoother school year 

August 19, 2022

EdSource roundtable put a spotlight on teachers' challenges and expectations for the year.

Carolyn Jones

California teachers share their challenges and worries: Teaching during Covid

July 13, 2022

The nonprofit Inverness Institute interviewed veteran teachers about life in the classroom during another difficult year impacted by a pandemic; two principals involved with the study sum up the findings in an interview with EdSource's John Fensterwald.

John Fensterwald

Commentary

Old-school discipline doesn't work any more – and shouldn't

April 24, 2022

Schools that continue to dole out punishment for minor “infractions” end up producing the very thing they wanted to attack: more bad behavior.

Martin Blythe

Fighting for the education of Black students in California

November 1, 2021

A Sacramento organization is suing the state, alleging officials knew about discriminatory disciplinary practices for years and did nothing.

Diana Lambert

Anticipating an increase in student misbehavior, California releases new discipline guidelines

October 1, 2021

Fewer suspensions, more counseling for students should be the focus for schools, state advises in new discipline guidelines.

Carolyn Jones

Commentary

Lessons from Oakland’s move to police-free schools

September 21, 2021

The story of Oakland’s efforts to eliminate school policing highlights four important lessons about what it truly takes to stop the criminalization of young people and their families. 

Jasmine Williams

ACLU sues Bay Area school district over ‘separate, unequal and illegal’ special education program

September 14, 2021

Lawsuit: Black students and English learners in Pittsburg Unified are disproportionately shunted into special education and subject to harsh discipline.

Carolyn Jones

New California absenteeism data shows big discrepancies between white, Black students

December 23, 2020

Black students far more likely to face disciplinary measures for missing school, statewide data shows.

Carolyn Jones And Daniel J. Willis

How school discipline — and student misbehavior — has changed during the pandemic

November 17, 2020

Suspending students when they're not attending class in person can be a complicated process.

Carolyn Jones

School police give way to more counselors in California districts as demands grow for reform

July 24, 2020

Demands for police reforms include increasing mental health services which are seen as key to helping young people, especially Black students, succeed studies say.

Carolyn Jones

Benefits, harm of school police the focus of state task force hearing

June 30, 2020

As districts disband or reform their police units, policymakers consider how to improve campus safety statewide.

Carolyn Jones

Oakland school board unanimously agrees to eliminate its police force

June 25, 2020

Board agreed to disband entire internal police department by end of the year and form a committee to come up with an alternative safety plan.

Theresa Harrington