National Association of School Psychologists Disciplining students, particularly those with chronic or serious behavior problems, is a long-standing challenge for educators. They must balance the needs of the school community and those of the individual student. At the heart of this challenge is the use of punitive versus supportive disciplinary practices.? Though increasingly common in…

By Andrea Cohn & Andrea Canter, Ph.D., NCSP National Association of School Psychologists Bullying is a widespread problem in our schools and communities. The behavior encompasses physical aggression, threats, teasing, and harassment. Although it can lead to violence, bullying typically is not categorized with more serious forms of school violence involving weapons, vandalism, or physical…

Good social skills are critical to successful functioning in life. These skills enable us to know what to say, how to make good choices, and how to behave in diverse situations. The extent to which children and adolescents possess good social skills can influence their academic performance, behavior, social and family relationships, and involvement in…

Preventing school violence is a top priority for school and public safety officials today.? Efforts include creating more positive school environments, establishing crisis response teams, increasing security measures, and improving school/community collaboration.? Considerable energy also has been devoted to developing a process to identify students at-risk of becoming violent before they cause harm.? Unfortunately there…