In my attempt to establish a more precise nomenclature for discussing school discipline efforts, I have begun to distinguish the meaning in this context between tools, programs, systems, and implementation.  I am introducing each first, before later expounding on each as a distinct yet essential facet of promoting a healthy school discipline climate.


A school or district discipline program will guide the system that will be implemented with supporting tools.  Discipline programs largely reflect a school or district's philosophical approach to discipline.  For instance, to what degree is the approach intended to be:

• reactive versus proactive?
• instructive versus punitive?
• discretionary versus prescriptive?
• uniform versus ad-hock?
• mild versus harsh?

Often these broad questions of degree depend upon the school context in which they are applied.  For instance:

• what are the school's needs? 
• what has been done before?
• what level of parental and administrative support exist? 
• which grade levels are included?
  
• what are the personalities and beliefs of those creating the program?

The discipline program is, in a sense, the philosophy that will guide development of a system that can be implemented with appropriate tools.  As this series continues in future blog posts, best practices of each of these facets will be discussed.

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This is blog entry #4 of an unknown number of coming blog posts providing information aimed at improving a school's efforts to promote appropriate student discipline.  Click a number to the right to view prior entries in this series: #1, #2, #3.