Latest news with #studentbehavior
Wall Street Journal
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
School Discipline Makes a Comeback
Discipline policy in K-12 public schools rode the progressive tide on race and crime in recent years, as the feds and states pushed therapy over suspensions and expulsions. But classroom misbehavior has surged since the Covid lockdowns, and some states are responding with changes that will benefit teachers and students. The Texas Legislature in May passed a bill that makes it easier for teachers to remove misbehaving students from classrooms and extends the allowable time for in-school suspensions. Some 3,300 Texas district employees were targets of student assault in 2023-24, according to the Texas Tribune. Removing students for any 'unruly, disruptive, or abusive' behavior, as the legislation allows, could help prevent such escalation. Arkansas lawmakers in April passed a law that ensures students removed for violent behavior aren't returned to the same classroom. The Legislature also stripped from state law a requirement that districts use 'positive behavioral support'—which focuses on 'conflict resolution' and 'coping skills'—to address student misbehavior. Washington state's superintendent finalized rules, effective this month, that loosen restrictions on removing, suspending, or expelling students. Other states have taken similar action in recent years, including Louisiana and Nevada, where the state teachers union supported legislation making it easier to remove students.
Telegraph
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Softly, softly schools fuel bad behaviour
Teaching assistant Katherine Hall* has witnessed behaviour in primary schools that has shocked her: pupils turning over desks, climbing on furniture, assaulting their peers and hurling equipment across the class. But what disheartens her most is the lack of action to tackle and change such behaviour when it first manifests as lower-level disruption. 'While most children fall into line, some struggle to adjust to the environment. Instead of teaching them how to adapt and exercising teacher authority when necessary, those poorly behaved children learn they will not receive meaningful consequences for unacceptable and anti-social conduct so they never learn to adapt,' she says. 'Little 'situations' keep getting managed and accommodated,' she continues. 'Then eventually, the child explodes and something bad happens and they get suspended and on and on it goes.' The approach – with labels such as 'child-centred', 'trauma-led' or 'restorative' education – relies on prioritising children's feelings. It means that, rather than nipping poor behaviour in the bud as soon as children start school, it becomes ingrained, says the 45-year-old. The end result is disastrous for pupils. As they get further up the school, and the nature of the misdemeanours become more serious, they are being kicked out. Recent data from the Department of Education shows that suspensions and expulsions at state primary schools are soaring – rising from 22,694 in the spring term 2018/19 to 30,831 at the same point in 2023/24. More than half of exclusions are driven by 'persistent disruptive behaviour'. Other shocking categories include use or threat of use of a weapon, physical assault, damage to property, sexual misconduct, bullying, verbal abuse and inappropriate use of IT, social media or online tech. Some 77 primary pupils – that's four to 11-year-olds – were suspended for behaviour related to drugs and alcohol. The factors behind the rise in this troubling behaviour are myriad and complex. Many on the Left blame the impact of poverty – primary pupils on free school meals are four times more likely to be excluded than other pupils. Others point to family breakdowns; the Department for Education figures show that children from groups with higher proportions of households led by a married couple, such as Asian and African families, have lower exclusion rates than their white and Caribbean-heritage classmates. According to the Centre for Social Justice, children suffering from the consequences of family breakdown are 50 per cent more likely to have behavioural difficulties, anxiety or depression, fail at school, and struggle with relationships. At the same time, pupils are more distracted than they have ever been. According to a 2023 Ofcom report, more than half of eight to 11-year-olds across the UK own a mobile phone. Children's concentration levels have fallen off a cliff, reducing their ability to cope with anything requiring effort and focus in class. Few of them are reading books, preferring instead a diet of three-second TikTok clips, warp-speed gaming or even porn, with half of children being exposed to explicit content by the age of 13, according to a study for the Children's Commissioner for England. Then there is the rise of 'gentle parenting'. While definitions vary, this type of parenting focuses on guiding children's behaviour through empathy and rewards rather than discipline, and has been slammed by Katharine Birbalsingh, head teacher of Michaela Community School in London, who argues that a lack of boundaries can be harmful and stunt development. Also in the mix is the seemingly exponential rise in the number of children with special educational needs (SEN). One of the fastest-growing categories is the catch-all of social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). Schools have to make 'reasonable adjustments', such as special 'sensory' areas, headphones to block out noise, time-outs and reduced timetables. Suspension rates among SEN pupils, with or without a formal diagnosis, are significantly higher than average. At the first sign of behavioural issues, school and parents are in hot pursuit of a diagnosis of some kind, spurred on by social media. The new flavour of the month on parenting sites is rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD), a term used to describe 'intense emotional reactions to perceived or actual rejection or criticism'. It can manifest as 'emotional dysregulation, low self-esteem and difficulty managing relationships' and is frequently linked to ADHD. It troubles Hall that the approach to children who have 'mislearnt' behaviour is to look for a diagnosis that might take years to secure, if ever, rather than immediately explore how to change the behaviour and train pupils to adapt to more social, formal settings. 'Where I think the line is being blurred is that the misbehaving children are not necessarily SEN,' she says. 'Any child that is running around and refusing to stay put is assumed to need an assessment. Yes, possibly something is going on. But a child's inability to focus and do what they are told is almost immediately filed under the heading of neurodiversity or ADHD. And the behaviour then becomes something that they are deemed not to have any control over.' For Hall, the tragedy is that many of these children will never get 'a formal diagnosis of anything because they don't qualify and will just always be that troublesome child because no-one has set them boundaries'. Indulging bad behaviour Let down as toddlers by parents who struggle to set clear expectations of behaviour or employ effective parenting techniques, some children are then failed by schools which adhere to the principle that 'all behaviour is a form of communication'. The ill-defined concept of 'wellbeing' is superseding the core purpose of education, Hall warns. And in this environment, showing displeasure at a child's behaviour, whether by a stern look, a raised voice or a sanction, is heresy – as is simply telling pupils what to do and expecting them to do it. When bad behaviour is indulged and there are no apparent consequences, other pupils take note. 'Other kids see this as preferential treatment,' says Hall. 'Then everyone thinks that they have a choice: 'if I'm in a good mood I'll stay at this desk, but if I'm bored or annoyed, it doesn't matter if I kick off'. It is actually confusing for children.' At the older end of primary school, behaviour can become violent; while the teacher pretends they are not alarmed and frightened classmates look on. One former teaching assistant from Sussex describes how she was hit, kicked, bitten and sworn at by primary age pupils in the course of her work. She quit when she realised that 'this isn't going to stop'. Matters are made worse, not better, by attempts to teach young children 'emotional literacy' in personal, social and health education (PSHE) lessons. 'It is teachers acting as amateur therapists,' says Hall. 'Saying to children 'This is what anger looks like, this is sadness' is not the same as helping them to manage or 'self-regulate' their feelings, but we assume it is. We teach that all feelings are valid but we know that, in fact, our feelings might be unhelpful, wrong, misplaced or fleeting. What we are doing in classrooms is woolly and ill-thought-out.' What you will never hear, adds Hall, is a teacher saying 'let's put aside our feelings and concentrate on learning'. Therapeutic education The UK's largest teaching union, the National Education Union (NEU), advocates for therapeutic education – a holistic approach to learning that addresses not only academic needs but also emotional and social development. At its core is the belief that everyone is, to some extent, shaped or harmed by their childhood – and that what was once considered a treatment for mental health problems can, in fact, be nurturing for all. In an NEU toolkit for teachers, it says that behaviour management should start with asking 'What has happened to you?' rather than 'What have you done?'. This approach, it claims, creates safe learning environments, and addresses the challenges of student mental health. Its influence on government policy is clear. New guidance proposed by the Department for Education advises teachers, when dealing with violent pupils, to pause and consider whether the children have 'experienced adverse life events or past traumas or neglect,' or may have undiagnosed medical conditions, before resorting to restraint or isolation. To preserve the 'dignity' of out-of-control pupils, staff are also encouraged to think twice before intervening 'in front of their peers.' But some in education have concerns about the efficacy of the therapeutic approach. According to David Didau, a former English teacher and the author of What If Everything You Knew About Education Is Wrong?, the aims of therapeutic education appear antithetical to those of academic education. 'Our preoccupation with therapy and wellbeing makes the normal, abnormal and far from teaching resilience, it seems to make us all more fragile and unhealthily aware of our vulnerability,' he writes. 'It teaches us that we're damaged and that we need professional help to undo this damage.' As Tom Bennett, the Government's lead behaviour adviser puts it, the teacher can become 'a children's entertainer to a room full of child Napoleons, terrified of upsetting their child-emperors'. 'Restorative practice feels right; it appeals to our sense that, with enough discussion, everyone will realise they should do the right thing,' he says. 'But I am weary of working with schools that have leaned so hard into restorative practice they fell over, and need to be rebooted because behaviour is so chaotic.' Hall is far from an advocate of the ultra-strict discipline regimes that lead to silent classrooms, but she points out that in unruly lessons, it is often the autistic child who loses out most. Another casualty of staff time spent sitting in sensory tents or kicking a ball with a child who has acted out are the pupils who need extra academic support – often those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Teaching assistants who are assigned to police the non-SEN 'problem child' have less time to tutor small groups who need extra input to bring them up to the expected level. 'I don't know what the answer is, but my instinctive feeling is that when schools start pandering and going from a position of 'I'm in charge' to negotiating with pupils, the game is lost,' says Hall. 'Children who push against boundaries and go on low-level power trips need discipline more than others, not less. All the child-centred approach achieves is to reinforce unacceptable behaviour and the irony is that it ends up with those children being kicked out of school.'
South China Morning Post
28-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
South Korean teacher kicked by third-grader highlights rise in classroom violence
A troubling incident in South Korea , where a third-grade student kicked a teacher after being corrected on a wrong answer, has sparked a debate about the increasing assaults on educators nationwide, highlighting growing concerns about teacher safety in schools. On Tuesday, authorities reported that a student in Gyeonggi province, who had a history of difficulty accepting mistakes, began yelling and kicking when informed that their answer was incorrect. In South Korea, students in the third grade are typically between eight and nine years old. Even after a substitute teacher replaced the original teacher, the student continued to disrupt the class and allegedly threatened the new teacher as well, The Korea Times newspaper reported. Following the incident on May 9, the school principal granted the teacher five days off and proposed a meeting with the parents, which the teacher rejected, viewing it as a coercive attempt to resolve the issue. The teacher also refused a written apology from both the student and their parents. This lack of separation and healing, combined with the expectation that teachers deal with complaints, amounts to secondary victimisation Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union statement The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union criticised the principal's response as inadequate, accusing the school of failing to protect the teacher and instead pressuring them to meet the student's family.
RNZ News
24-05-2025
- RNZ News
Principal speaks out against keyboard warriors after alleged assault
Oxford Area School principal Mike Hart. Photo: David Hill / North Canterbury News All schools grapple with ''challenging student behaviour'' and it is not helped by social media outbursts, a North Canterbury principal says. Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney said he felt for his colleagues, when critics took to social media following an incident this week at Oxford Area School. A student was taken to Christchurch Hospital with injuries, after being reportedly assaulted by another Oxford Area School student on Wednesday. Challenging behaviour happened in all schools and most followed restorative processes when addressing the behaviour, Kearney said. ''Kids do dumb things and our role is to teach them the consequences of their actions,'' he said. ''We try to hold young people to account for their actions in a kind and positive way, but social media isn't interested in that.'' He said people should not assume every ''unpleasant incident is bullying''. ''Bullying is ongoing emotional abuse, and it happens everywhere and not just in schools. It happens in the workplace, in the home, out in the community and online.'' While some social media critics wanted schools to return to corporal punishment, Kearney said that was not the answer. ''It is teaching a student, 'I'm going to hit you, because you hit someone else'.'' Rangiora High School presiding board member Simon Green and principal Bruce Kearney. Photo: LDR / David Hill Like politicians, Kearney said school principals were often targets of online abuse, including death threats. Rangiora High School was one of several schools to participate in the recent Pink Shirt Day. Oxford Area School board of trustees presiding member Aaron Campbell referred enquiries about the incident at OAS to principal Mike Hart. In a statement, Hart said the school was following its procedures to work through the incident. He asked the community to contact the school, if they with any concerns or questions. ''Our thoughts and heartfelt support are with the student and their whānau during this time. ''We know this may be unsettling, and we are doing everything we can to ensure the wellbeing of all involved.'' Rangiora High School board of trustees presiding member Simon Green said schools had always grappled with ''challenging student behaviour'', which was an emotive topic. He said the board worked with school leadership to ensure bullying was addressed promptly and constructively, with ''a focus on restoring relationships and building a culture of respect and accountability''. A Ministry of Education spokesperson said staff had been in contact with Oxford Area School and were confident school staff were following appropriate procedures. Oxford Area School has students from years 1-13. Local Democracy Reporting noted several Oxford Facebook pages had blocked comments on the incident. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Sky News
22-05-2025
- Sky News
Husband of teacher stabbed at school in West Wales calls for action on pupil behaviour
The husband of a teacher who was stabbed by a pupil at a school in West Wales has called for urgent action to tackle behaviour. This article contains descriptions some readers may find distressing. Liz Hopkin was stabbed by a teenage girl at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, Carmarthenshire, last April. Fellow teacher Fiona Elias and a pupil were also stabbed in the incident. The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was detained for 15 years last month after she was convicted of three counts of attempted murder. Mrs Hopkin attempted to restrain the pupil after her colleague was stabbed in an outdoor area of the school during the mid-morning break on 24 April 2024. Recalling the day he saw his wife Liz "in a pool of blood", John Hopkin described the scene as "hectic". "Then she just assumed she was dying, so she was just apologising for going," Mr Hopkin told Sky News. "And that's when, not so much panic hit, but I didn't really know what was going on after that." The impact of the events of that day continue to have a profound effect on Mrs Hopkin and her family. "It's completely changed our whole life and family life," Mr Hopkin said. "Physically, [Liz is] recovering just knocked her right back and I think it's not going to be a quick process to get over that." 'Watershed moment' Mr Hopkin is calling for an independent inquiry into what happened at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman. "I'm not bothered about accountability or blame, and Liz is neither," he added. "But what we do want is to see if there was anything that was done wrong to stop it happening again. "It won't happen in Dyffryn Aman, touch wood, but somewhere in Wales and somewhere in England, it will happen again." Carmarthenshire County Council told Sky News an "independently led review" is now under way following the conclusion of the trial. The council's cabinet member for education and the Welsh language, Glynog Davies, said the review would "ensure any good practice is highlighted and shared and that any lessons learnt are identified". Cllr Davies said the local authority had supported the victims as well as "the wider school community", with that support continuing "in individual and bespoke ways". A Welsh government summit is taking place on Thursday, which will focus on behaviour in schools. Mr Hopkin hopes the incident at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman will be "a watershed moment" and believes the Welsh government can take urgent steps to tackle pupil behaviour. Having worked in nine secondary schools all over Wales, Mr Hopkin says greater communication with teachers is needed and that a consistent approach is key. "Every single school deals with behaviour differently," Mr Hopkin said. "We've got a government that doesn't want to lead on this and is stopping schools from treating behaviour consistently. "It's a big issue and I don't think that the summit on its own is going to come up with the answers." He also called for a Wales-wide ban on smartphones in schools to improve behaviour. In March, a Senedd committee rejected a petition calling for a ban and instead recommended clearer guidance for schools. Plans to prohibit the use of mobile phones in England's schools were dropped last year. "Banning mobile phones in schools would make a massive difference," Mr Hopkin added. "And you can see schools that have banned them have found a really positive improvement in behaviour." Mr Hopkin also said that the problems facing schools in Wales were no "different" to other areas of the UK. "I think the Welsh government are reluctant to agree that the problems that are facing Wales are the same as the problems that face anywhere in England, whether it's in a city or in the countryside," he said. "The problems are everywhere, we're not protected by a big bubble." 'Sustained investment' Teaching unions have welcomed the summit but are calling for increased investment to tackle challenging behaviour. Nicola Fitzpatrick, interim Wales secretary for the National Education Union (NEU), told Sky News that its members wanted to see "action" from the government. "Unless increased and sustained investment is secured, then we just hinder the ability of all stakeholders to urgently address the issues in a way that meet the needs of learners, but crucially that keeps all staff and students safe," she said. "So we'd like to see some strong, clear, collaborative guidance that's consistent across all local authorities in Wales - that there aren't 22 different ways to do it - and that good practice and collaborative practice is shared." The Welsh government told Sky News that schools in Wales are "dealing with a whole range of wider societal issues on a daily basis and there is no one solution". "The summit is part of a longer program of work which includes our recent roundtable on violence and safety in schools and colleges and the commitment to provide clear guidance on the use of mobile phones," it said in a statement.
