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New ETS Study Shows Classroom Discipline Essential for Teaching and Learning
Princeton, N.J. (Oct. 13, 1998) -- School discipline problems not only affect students' safety and security, they have a clear and substantial negative impact on their academic achievement, says a new study from Educational Testing Service.
"The research findings support with hard data the assertion of the late Albert Shanker that without order in the classrooms, teachers can't teach and students can't learn," report co-author Harold Wenglinsky said.
The new study is "Order in the Classroom: Violence, Discipline and Student Achievement." It was written by Paul Barton, Richard Coley and Wenglinsky, all of ETS's Policy Information Center.
In the preface, Barton asked: "How much do school order and discipline matter? How much have they changed? What is being done in response?" These are the questions the report attempts to answer.
The ETS research study shows that school discipline is everybody's problem, says ETS President Nancy Cole. "These findings, and the data presented in this far-reaching report, support placing the issue of classroom order front and center in school reform efforts to enhance student performance," she said.
Wenglinsky's portion of the study was based on the analysis of more than 13,000 students nationwide and sought to measure the relationships among school disciplinary policies, school disorder and academic achievement.
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For his analysis, Wenglinsky classified student behaviors into three types: drug and alcohol abuse, nonserious offenses such as cutting class, and serious offenses such as bringing a weapon to school. He found that:
-- Delinquency was negatively related to gains in achievement. Serious and nonserious offenses were negatively related to gains in achievement in all four subjects -- mathematics, reading, social science and science. Drug and alcohol use were negatively related to gains in mathematics and science only.
-- Delinquent behavior could be reduced through strict disciplinary policies. The severity of the punishments meted out by schools was negatively related to levels of all types of delinquency. The strictness of security arrangements in all the schools was negatively related to the levels of nonserious offenses. However, the existence of policies on school uniforms or gang colors proved unrelated to levels of delinquency.
Wenglinsky discovered nonserious offenses were common and serious ones more rare. Student attitudes about those two categories of offenses mirrored that observation. For example, 29 percent of 10th-graders in the study said that it was okay to be late to class or to copy homework, 16 percent said it was okay to talk back to a teacher and more than 10 percent said it was okay to disobey rules, skip a day of class and cheat on a test. But only 3 percent said it was okay to bring a weapon to school, only 2 percent said it was okay to destroy school property and just 1 percent said it was okay to use drugs in school.
The overall problems of student delinquent behavior are severe enough for Wenglinsky to conclude, "Disciplinary policy is a not a side issue, distracting educators from more academic goals; rather, a sound disciplinary policy is a prerequisite for a sound academic policy."
Coley looked at the current condition of the nation's classrooms and trends where available:
-- Among eighth-graders, one in 10 feels unsafe at school. Hispanic students are more likely to feel unsafe than Black and White students. ORDER/3
-- More than half of the nation's public schools reported that a crime had been committed on the premises and reported to police.
-- One in 10 schools reported that serious violent incidents, such as rape or sexual battery, suicide, robbery or physical attacks with a weapon, had occurred at the school.
-- More than one-third of the nation's high school principals reported that student drug and alcohol use was a serious or moderate problem.
The report also surveyed a wide variety of approaches being tried to reduce violence and increase order and discipline in the classroom. A total of nine are briefly described. Among them are:
-- Federal Action. In 1994, the Gun-Free Schools Act required that states automatically expel weapon-toting students for at least a year.
-- Conflict Resolution. Efforts to teach strategies for resolving conflicts have been under way since the early 1980s. The degree of such efforts vary. Illinois requires districts to provide violence prevention education for fourth- to twelfth-grade students.
-- Codes of Behavior. While some states have new statewide laws, individual school districts may also issue codes of behavior. There are noteworthy programs in Cincinnati, Toronto and Oklahoma City.
-- Character Education. Some educators believe that if students internalize the right values, they will become responsible citizens in the school, as well as in the community.
However, the size, reach and effectiveness of these efforts are unknown, the report concludes, and better information is needed.
Free copies of "Order in the Classroom" can be downloaded from www.ets.org/research/pic. Printed copies are available at $10.50 from the Policy Information Center, Mailstop 04-R, Educational Testing Service, Rosedale Road, Princeton, NJ 08541-0001, or e-mail [email protected].
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ETS is the world's premier educational measurement institution and a leader in educational research. The nonprofit organization develops and administers achievement, occupational and admissions tests -- such as the SAT for the College Board -- for clients in education, government and business. ETS annually administers 9 million tests in the United State and 180 countries. Its web site is located at www.ets.org.
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