Teaching the Social Curriculum: School Discipline as Instruction

Abstract

Though less explicit than the academic curriculum, the expectations, rules, and consequences that form the social curriculum of schools are no less important in determining school success. Methods of discipline that emphasize school removal have not yielded evidence of effectiveness in teaching appropriate behavior or ensuring safe and effective school climates. In contrast, reviews have consistently identified preventive, collaborative, and instructional methods as effective or promising in reducing school violence or disruption. One effort to increase the implementation of effective instructional methods of school discipline and the promising results from the 1st year of implementation are described. First-year results from that program provide some evidence that school discipline need not be equated with punishment and exclusion.

Key Words:

• at-risk students
• interventions
• school discipline
• social curriculum
• student behavior

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Reece Peterson

Russ Skiba is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology in the School of Education and director of the Institute for Child Study at Indiana University, Bloomington. Reece Peterson is a professor in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders in the Teachers College at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Authors' Note: The research on which this article was based was supported in part under Grant #H325N990009 from the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. However, the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and no endorsement by the federal government should be assumed.