Class: SED 322Subject: Schools, Prisons, and Social Implications of Punishment Date:

4/2/15

Rethinking Disciplinary Practices

o Principal could tell that a child was likely to go to jail in the future
When asked what hes doing to prevent it, he doesnt have an
answer
o Schools feel that control is an essential part of education
Students who have unstable home lives are, unfortunately, often
the most impacted group affected by strict punishments
There is a fixation with behavior managements and social
control that outweighs and overrides all other priorities and
goals. (113)
Social Control and the Social Contract of Schooling
o The punishment system for students reflects that of adults
Both in how punishments are assigned and who they are
assigned to
o Control is based on the assumption that students mostly respect adult
authority and have a vested interest in conforming to the learning
process.
If students feel like the education theyre receiving isnt
preparing them for life, they have little incentive to behave
o Punishment Label Anti-social behavior Punishment Label
Discipline and the Social Purposes of Education
o Primary functions of a school
Rate students according to academic ability
Socialization, social conventions
Social control acting as parent, instilling norms
o Students act out when they feel they are not being adequately
prepared for success
With the rewards of education largely unavailable to them, we
must realistically ask ourselves why we would expect that
students would comply with the rules and adhere to school
expectations. (119)
Does Sorting Out the Bad Apples Work?
o Students who were identifies as bad apples were put in a special
classroom with a special trained teacher so that they would not disturb
the instruction of classmates
Once some students were gone, other bad apples started to
voice up

Class: SED 322Subject: Schools, Prisons, and Social Implications of Punishment Date:
4/2/15

Students put in the bad apple group realized what was going
on and rebelled against the segregation
The experiment was terminated after a few weeks
o Author makes a suggestion that teachers with disruptive students talk
to teachers with well-behaved students
Discussion was not a common practice but seemed to yield
results
Disorder and Disengagement in High Schools
o Students feel like there are not high expectation for them
o There is a strong correlation between behavior and grades
o School with strict policies seem to have higher suspension rates
Some policies such as substituting classes for study hall or
zero-tolerance for tardiness can even deny students access to
education
Breaking the Connection Between Prisons and Schools
o In hyperghettos, schools act as institutions of confinement much
in the same way prisons do
Like the prison system their recruitment is severely skewed
along class and ethnoracial lines Like inmates, children are
herded into decaying and overcrowded facilities built like
bunkers. (128)
o Children of color are highly overrepresented in the cases of behavior
related punishments
This is a systemic issue that is deeply engrained and not always
explicitly obvious
o Treating children with kindness can help to dissuade behavioral issues
Take Away
o Pick your battles
Making a big deal about every little thing distracts from
instruction and ultimately makes you seem like an antagonist
o Think of the student
Dont assume that students who arent perfect have a problem
with you personally.
There are plenty of legitimate reasons for students be
feeling a certain way. These feelings should be explored
and resolved rather than ignored.
o Dont take on everything by yourself

Class: SED 322Subject: Schools, Prisons, and Social Implications of Punishment Date:
4/2/15

Peers can offer insight into how to reach and manage students
Parents may be able to alter a students behavior before
administrative action is needed
Maybe even involve the students in establishing expectations,
rules, and punishments for themselves.