The School Discipline Committee

We believe that every school should have a standing discipline committee to assemble the written rules after obtaining input from staff, resolve discipline-related issues as they arise, and keep discipline on the front burner at all times. The committee should include a representative from each grade level and content area, as well as from classified, specialist, and support staff members. Ideally, committee members should be good communicators and should represent their constituent groups rather than advocate their personal positions. To this end, it is better for constituent groups to elect their committee representatives.

Identifying Core Beliefs

Assessing the Philosophy

Each staff member should assess his or her personal discipline philosophy and submit it to the school discipline committee for analysis. Although teachers can assess their philosophies independently of one another, it is best for them to do so at the same time, in a facilitated setting, using the form in Figure 1.1. The main purpose of the assessment is to find areas of agreement and disagreement among staff members so that they can be proactively addressed.

Figure 1.1. Discipline Philosophy Assessment

Figure 1.1. continued Discipline Philosophy Assessment

Discussing the Results

Once committee members have assessed their personal beliefs, they should discuss and list areas of philosophical agreement and disagreement on a chart (see Figure 1.2). The areas of agreement will form the basis for the school discipline program. The facilitator may want to start this discussion by saying something along these lines: "I want to share with you the results of our discipline philosophy assessment. We will keep these results posted, as the beliefs will form the basis for our school discipline philosophy and for the rules that we will later develop as a staff."

Figure 1.2. Sample List of Areas of Philosophical Agreement and Disagreement

Areas of Philosophical Agreement Prevention is key Relationships are important Structure is important Rules need to be taught There should be a balance between consequences and rewards

Areas of Philosophical Disagreement Supervision is everyone's responsibility Athletes should be students first

Resolving Areas of Disagreement

Teachers who don't believe in a policy will probably not do their part to support it, and in some cases may even sabotage it. As committee members discuss the norms, they begin to understand each other's points of view, even if they don't agree with them. In some cases, a better alternative arises after hearing the pros and cons of a stated belief. Both individuals and organizations grow in reciprocity with others as they resolve differences, listen to one another, and achieve consensus.

Without open, honest discussion of important issues, educators cannot identify and deal with barriers as policies emerge. For this reason, it is important to find out where the areas of disagreement are and to work through them. Before doing so, however, it is helpful to first establish norms of collaboration that clearly articulate how staff members should work together. We recommend that these operating norms be reviewed with staff and used whenever emotionally charged discussions are conducted.

Let's imagine a scenario in which half the staff agrees that supervision is everyone's responsibility, and the other half believes it's exclusively the administration's responsibility. The facilitator should review the operating norms with the staff and post them for reference. He or she may begin the process by saying something like this: "As we have discussed before, when we hold discussions that are potentially charged with differing opinions and strong beliefs, we will follow our operating norms. I have them posted so we can refer to them, and at the end of the discussion we will review which ones we stuck to and which ones we need to focus on in the future. Do any of you have questions or need clarification regarding these norms?"

Conducting a Force Field Analysis

When discussing a controversial policy or belief, we recommend employing Lewin's (1935) "force field analysis" technique, as it helps staff members reduce opposition to proposed changes and strengthen support for them by following these steps (see Figures 1.3 and 1.4 for completed examples):

1. Write down the belief under consideration on a piece of paper.
2. Create a two-column table, with the first column labeled "Driving Forces" (i.e., forces for change) and the second column labeled "Restraining Forces" (i.e., forces against change).
3. List the driving forces supporting the belief in the first column, giving each staff member an opportunity to contribute.
4. List the restraining forces against the belief in the second column, giving each staff member an opportunity to contribute.

Figure 1.3. Sample Force Field Analysis #1

Belief: It's everyone's job to supervise students in the halls, at lunch, in the bus zone, and before and after school.

Driving Forces There are only two building administrators and 60 staff members. If we share the load, no one is overworked. We have over 900 students in this building. You tell me how it's possible for two administrators alone to ensure staff visibility. It can't be done unless we all share the load. It's more work for us to be visible, but if we don't try we're going to have that much more work resulting from poor visibility.

Restraining Forces Lack of time Lack of supervision pay

Figure 1.4. Sample Force Field Analysis #2

Belief: If student athletes receive a consequence for a serious rule violation, they should not be able to participate in the next athletic contest.
Driving Forces Athletes are role models for other students. The prospect of a game-related consequence is an incentive to work on academics. The policy emphasizes the importance of being a good, responsible student.	Restraining Forces Two consequences for the same violations constitute "double jeopardy." The policy unfairly targets athletes. The policy angers parents and coaches.

In the example in Figure 1.3, the group might want to go no further, as the driving forces far exceed the restraining forces.

Figure 1.4 shows how the committee could go further and change the equilibrium in the following belief statement: "If student athletes receive a consequence for a serious rule violation, they should not be able to participate in the next athletic contest." In this example, the restraining and driving forces are closer to equilibrium; changing the balance in favor of the driving forces could help increase support for the policy.

Changing the Equilibrium

The balance in a force field analysis can be changed by discussing how to mitigate each of the restraining forces positively and proactively. For example, to keep parents and teachers from becoming angry as mentioned in Figure 1.4, the discipline committee may decide to communicate the reason for the "game-related consequences" policy as thoroughly as possible, pointing out the driving forces.

Force field analysis helps staff members to articulate their positions, listen to the other side, and collaborate on school policies. Even when staff members don't totally agree with the end result, the analytical process will help them to articulate their feelings and beliefs.

Reviewing the Norms

After walking group members through a force field analysis, the facilitator should ask them to evaluate whether or not they followed the operating norms. For example: "Now that we have gone through this process, let's assess how we did following our norms. As you look at the list, what are the one or two norms that you think we did a good job on today? What are one or two norms that we didn't do so well on and should focus on for our next discussion?" This process can be brief, but it is important as it lets everyone know that these norms are expectations for how the group should work together and that they will be monitored by the whole group.

Creating a Shared Vision

To make it clear that discipline is everyone's responsibility, the facilitator should clearly articulate what staff members can expect from him or her, and what the facilitator expects from them. Following the analysis in Figure 1.3, for example, the facilitator might say the following:

"We've been talking about student supervision, and I'm pleased that we all agree it's very important for students to be supervised inside and outside of the classroom throughout the day. Every morning that I'm at school and not in a meeting, you can expect to see me supervising students as they enter the building and go to class. I will also supervise students when they leave the building and during passing periods. At the same time, I expect all staff members to be in their assigned areas at the assigned times as noted on the supervision schedule. If for some reason you can't be at your assigned location, I expect you to find someone to take your place. If you have any trouble, contact me and I will provide assistance."

This example should be followed for each of the beliefs that staff members disagree with in the force field analysis. Once disagreements are resolved, it's time to clearly state the staff's collective beliefs regarding discipline. Let's say that as a result of conducting the philosophy assessment and holding these discussions, the following collective beliefs emerge:

• Prevention is the key to school discipline.
• Relationships are an important component in a prevention-based discipline program.
• Structure in and out of the classroom is important in maintaining strong levels of discipline.
• Classroom and building rules need to be taught to mastery.
• Supervision is everyone's responsibility.
• Athletes should be students first.
• There should be a balance between consequences and rewards.

These beliefs should be formalized and posted in a visible place as the staff continues to work together to develop the specific rules and policies. One way to formalize the beliefs is to put them at the beginning of the student, staff, and parent handbooks and label them as "Staff Core Beliefs Regarding Discipline." Always date such documents, as they should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis. Another good idea is to review these policies and beliefs at back-to-school night and during parent-teacher conferences. Also, when interviewing potential new staff members, make sure to ask about their core beliefs regarding discipline, to ensure that they align with the school's.

After assessing staff members' core beliefs and creating a collective vision of what discipline should be in the school, the committee can begin to assess the current state of the school discipline program.