A brief history of school discipline

Research shows suspensions aren’t effective at changing kids’ behavior. And kids of color are more likely to get kicked out than white kids. Once suspended, they’re more likely to get into trouble and wind up in the criminal justice system. In 2014, the Obama administration asked schools to stop suspending and expelling so many kids.

This week, we examine the history of harsh discipline in school. ARW is working on a new documentary about discipline that will be released this fall. Lead producer Catherine Winter spoke with Judith Kafka, a professor at Baruch College who wrote about the evolution of school discipline in her book, “The History of ‘Zero Tolerance’ in American Public Schooling.”