National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity

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School Discipline

Harsh discipline policies are pushing students out of school for minor infractions, denying them educational opportunities, and creating a cycle of misbehavior and lost-opportunity. Statistics show that students subjected to harsh policies are more likely to drop out of school or get into serious trouble with the law. More than an education crisis, this "school-to-prison pipeline" is a racial justice crisis because the students pushed out through harsh discipline are disproportionately students of color.

To download the full toolkit PDF click here.

School Discipline Toolkit

An overview of the school-to-prison pipeline, including talking points, resources, and key organizations. To get started, select a section of the Toolkit to the right.

Featured Resource

Policy

How to Close the Opportunity Gap: Key Policy Recommendations

National Education Policy Center, May 2013

The National Education Policy Center's new book "Closing the Opportunity Gap" offers a wide array of policy recommendations for closing the opportunity gap and ensuring all students have the resources they need to succeed. This policy guide distills the most important recommendations from the book at three different levels: at the level of students' individual needs, at the level of in-school opportunities and resources, and at the level of communities and neighborhoods.

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Policy

Addressing the Out-of-School Suspension Crisis: A Policy Guide for School Board Members

Opportunity to Learn Campaign , Apr 2013

A new guide from the Opportunity to Learn Campaign, Opportunity Action, and national partners including the National School Board Association (NSBA) highlights school districts across the country for their efforts to create discipline policies aimed at ending excessive and discriminatory out-of-school suspensions. "Addressing the Out-of-School Suspension Crisis: A Policy Guide for School Board Members" urges local officials to implement positive discipline policies that keep students in the classroom and learning.

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Blog Posts on School Discipline

The "Education Spring" Is Here

May 17

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May 17th is the 59th anniversary of the historic Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. Decades later, students, parents, teacher and advocates are still fighting against education policies that leave students of color and low-income students deprived of the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. But a grassroots revolution is brewing, what blogger Jeff Bryant has been calling an "education spring," and this past week has seen headline-grabbing victories and inspiring actions.