Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
Maryanne Roesch
Committee Member
Ann Barefield
Committee Member
Maryellen Maher
Keywords
administrative support, behavior standards, bullying, communication, conferencing, discipline, disruptive behaviors, elementary school, essays, extracurricular classrooms, faculty, historical data, office referrals, off-task behaviors, parent contact, parents, Personal Record of Individual Discipline for Everyone (PRIDE), policy, reward day, school enrollment, staff surveys, student behavior, student conferencing, student discipline, student rewards, students, suspensions, teacher discipline, teachers, yellow cards
Abstract
The purpose of this applied dissertation was to bring about change in discipline to an elementary school. On an initial survey, the staff had reported that discipline was the number one concern at the school, with over 40 suspensions in 2001-2002 of a total school enrollment of 190. Teachers stated feeling unsupported by the administration, and parents reported a lack of communication about discipline. Analysis of historical data showed that referrals to the office were in two broad categories: off-task behaviors and bullying behaviors.
Discipline was addressed by implementing a Personal Record of Individual Discipline for Everyone (PRIDE) program. Specific behaviors related to being off task and bullying were targeted and placed on yellow cards. A yellow card was developed for each child in each classroom and in extracurricular classrooms to document disruptive and bullying behaviors. A procedure was implemented to include parent contact, assigned written essays, and conferencing with students. A reward day was built into the plan for students not receiving yellow card documentation within a 6-week period.
As a result of this study, discipline improved in the elementary school. Out-of-school suspensions were reduced from 44 in 2001-2002 to only 2 suspensions in 2003-2004. A high rating for administrative support to teachers in matters of discipline was expressed by 90% of the faculty. Improvement in behaviors related to bullying and being off task was clearly realized by parents and by teachers as evidenced in the results of the surveys.