SEPTEMBER 23, 2013 I S S U E F O C U S Opportunities to Promote Behavioral Health ALISON PERENCEVICH, M.P.H., Grantmakers In Health C oncerns about school violence have heightened aware- WHY IS SCHOOL DISCIPLINE IMPORTANT TO ness of how schools maintain a safe and productive HEALTH PHILANTHROPY? learning environment. Public discourse surrounding Vulnerable youth are disproportionately affected by puni- school safety has largely focused on security, including the tive discipline policies. Suspensions disproportionately affect presence of law enforcement on campuses. Yet every day in the youth from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds and United States, school discipline policies have short- and long- students with disabilities (Figure 1). Suspension rates for term consequences for students and the school community. African-American and Latino students have more than School climate is not only important to students’ academic doubled over the past 30 years (Losen and Martinez 2013). achievement, but also to their healthy social and emotional Students with disabilities, particularly those with emotional development. Adolescence is a critical period of physical, and behavioral conditions, are twice as likely to receive one or emotional, and social growth; it is also a crucial time to recog- more out-of-school suspensions (CRDC 2012). nize and address behavioral health needs. Although one-half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14, many youth have The negative implications for behavioral health, academic undiagnosed or untreated mental health and substance use achievement, and life success are significant. Students who disorders (Kessler et al. 2005). Behavioral health issues may are suspended are at increased risk of dropping out of high contribute to disruptive behavior but can also result or worsen school, as well as entering the juvenile justice system. from harsh disciplinary action. Suspensions may either overlook or exacerbate underlying School discipline practices vary by state and can take many behavioral issues affecting the student or school, such as bully- forms, including suspension, expulsion, and school-related ing, substance abuse, or unmet mental health needs. Feelings of alienation and shame often associated with exclusionary school arrests. Recent data show that a considerable number of stu- discipline may create or enhance negative mental health out- dents are being suspended and that this number has increased comes by distancing youth from healthy peer communities and significantly over the past 40 years. In fact, during the 2009- increasing the likelihood of marginalization (Skiba et al. 2006). 2010 school year over two million students were suspended and more than 2,600 secondary schools suspended over 25 percent Evidence shows that current disciplinary approaches are of their total student body (Losen and Martinez 2013). not working. Most suspensions are for disruptive behavior or FIGURE 1: PERCENTAGE OF U.S. STUDENTS SUSPENDED AT LEAST ONCE, 2009-2010 30 25 24.3 19.3 20 15 12 11.3 11.3 10 8.4 7.1 6.6 5 4.1 2.4 1.7 1.8 1.1 1.2 2.3 0.2 0 Elementary Secondary All American Indian Asian African American Latino White ELS With Disability Source: Losen and Martinez 2013 I S S U E F O C U S GIH BULLETIN minor violations of school rules. For example, roughly 60 per- ® Expanding School Mental Health Services – The cent of student suspensions in California are for willful Connecticut School-Based Diversion Initiative (SBDI) brings defiance, a loosely defined category that often includes dress stakeholders together to reduce punitive school discipline and code violations, profanity, or any behavior that disrupts class expand school mental health care. Implemented by the Child (The California Endowment 2013a). Research indicates that Health and Development Institute of Connecticut, a sub- zero-tolerance discipline policies do not deter or reduce misbe- sidiary of the Children’s Fund of Connecticut, SBDI’s goals havior, and in reality have negative impacts on student learning include: 1) reducing the frequency of out-of-school suspen- and school climate. Schools with higher rates of suspension sions, expulsions, and in-school arrests; 2) linking at-risk tend to have lower academic quality, pay less attention to youth to school- and community-based supports; and 3) school climate, and receive lower ratings on school governance increasing the skills of school staff to manage behavioral measures (Skiba et al. 2006). health crises. SBDI’s approach involves school disciplinary policy consultation; training school personnel on mental POSITIVE APPROACHES TO SCHOOL health and classroom management strategies; and enhanced DISCIPLINE linkages to school- and community-based supports, including emergency mobile psychiatric services. Evaluation data show Many schools are adopting alternative approaches to school decreases in suspension, in-school arrests, and court referrals, discipline that hold students accountable in a constructive, with increased referrals for school emergency mobile healthy manner and promote social-emotional learning. Several psychiatric services (Bracey et al. 2013). promising approaches include: ® Scaling Up Models that Focus on Disproportionately • Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS): Affected Students – The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation This school-wide system approach develops clear expecta- (RWJF) has integrated positive approaches to school disci- tions and rules for students and addresses disciplinary issues pline into the foundation’s work to improve the health, with positive interventions such as counseling, conflict education, and employment opportunities of boys and resolution, and mediation. PBIS consists of three tiers of young men of color. In July 2013 RWJF announced 10 intervention, including school-wide primary prevention, community innovation grantees as part of its $9.5 million secondary prevention involving classroom management of Forward Promise initiative. Several of the selected commu- students engaging in at-risk behaviors, and a third tier focus- nity-based programs are working to implement effective ing on individualized behavioral intervention (PBIS 2013). alternatives to suspension that promote positive behavior • Restorative Justice: This approach encourages students to interventions and support the mental health needs of youth take responsibility for their actions and resolve conflicts by exposed to violence and trauma (RWJF 2013). repairing harmed relationships. Restorative practices often ® Helping School Leaders Implement New Approaches – utilize small group circles, peer juries, or fairness committees As part of The California Endowment’s Health Happens to facilitate conversations with students and staff about the in Schools and Boys and Men of Color campaigns, the causes of disciplinary issues and identify positive behavioral Common-Sense School Discipline Initiative aims to reduce solutions (Dignity in Schools 2013). school suspension rates and build momentum for positive • Trauma-Informed Schools: This approach supports youth school discipline. In 2013 the endowment awarded a total of exposed to violence and other traumatic events and teaches $1.1 million to nine Central Valley school districts to assist productive coping mechanisms. Trauma-informed school with the development and implementation of positive disci- practices involve training school personnel to recognize pline approaches. Previously the endowment created the trauma responses, guidelines for assisting traumatized Leadership and Learning Network for Positive School students in the classroom, and development of appropriate Discipline to provide school leaders with information and referral systems to provide students with linkages to resources to reform discipline policies. Roughly 20 school behavioral health services and supports (NCTSN 2013). districts participate, and the endowment recently invested additional funding to support operations and increase HEALTH GRANTMAKER STRATEGIES membership (The California Endowment 2013b). Philanthropy can play a vital role in educating parents, policy- ® Supporting Research and Advocacy for Policy Change – makers, and the public about the effects of school discipline Reforming school discipline policies is a signature grantmak- policies. In addition to raising awareness about the importance ing initiative of The Atlantic Philanthropies’ youth of students remaining in school, health grantmakers can sup- programming. Atlantic has supported grantees across the port positive approaches to school discipline that enhance country working to reduce punitive school discipline social-emotional development by expanding school mental through research and advocacy for policy change. Funding health services, scaling up models that focus on disproportion- has supported grassroots advocacy campaigns, legal counsel ately affected students, helping school leaders implement new and advocacy services, and research and dissemination of approaches, and supporting research and advocacy. best practices (The Atlantic Philanthropies 2013). I S S U E F O C U S GIH BULLETIN SOURCES The Atlantic Philanthropies, “Grants Database,” <http://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/ search/grants>, accessed August 28, 2013. Bracey, Jeana R., Eric Arzubi, Jeffrey Vanderploeg, and Robert P. Franks, Improving Outcomes for Children in Schools: Expanded School Mental Health (Farmington, CT: Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut 2013). The California Endowment, Fix School Discipline News, <http://www.calendow.org// uploadedFiles/FixSchoolsNews_FIN.pdf>, Spring/Summer 2013a. The California Endowment, “The California Endowment Awards $779,000 to Support Central Valley Leadership and Learning Network on School Discipline Reform,” <http://tcenews. calendow.org/releases/the-california-endowment-awards-779-000-to-support-central-valley- leadership-and-learning-network-on-school-discipline-reform>, accessed August 2013b. Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, CRDC Data Summary, <http://ocrdata.ed.gov/Downloads/CMOCRTheTransformedCRDCFINAL3- 15-12Accessible-1.pdf>, March 2012. Dignity in Schools, Fact Sheet: Creating Positive School Discipline, <http://www.dignityinschools. org/sites/default/files/Fact_Sheet_RestorativeJustice_PBIS.pdf>, accessed August 2013. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), “Forward Promise,” <http://www.rwjf.org/en/ grants/grantees/forward-promise.html>, accessed August 2013. Kessler, Ronald C., Patricia Berglund, Olga Demler, et al., “Lifetime Prevalence and Age-of-Onset Distributions of DSM-IV Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication,” Archives of General Psychiatry 62(6):593-602, June 2005. Losen, Daniel J., and Tia Elena Martinez, UCLA Center for Civil Rights Remedies at The Civil Rights Project, Out of School & Off Track: The Overuse of Suspensions in American Middle and High Schools, <http://civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/resources/projects/center-for-civil-rights-remedies/ school-to-prison-folder/federal-reports/out-of-school-and-off-track-the-overuse-of-suspensions- in-american-middle-and-high-schools/OutofSchool-OffTrack_UCLA_4-8.pdf>, April 2013. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), “Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators,” <http://www.nctsn.org/resources/audiences/school-personnel/trauma-toolkit>, accessed August 2013. National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs, “School-Wide PBIS,” <http://www.pbis.org/school/default.aspx>, accessed August 2013. Skiba, Russell, Cecil R. Reynolds, Sandra Graham, et al., Are Zero Tolerance Policies Effective in Schools? An Evidentiary Review and Recommendations, report by the American Psychological Association Zero Tolerance Task Force (Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2006).