NCJ Number
116100
Journal
Journal of Negro Education Volume: 58 Issue: 1 Dated: (1989) Pages: 92-101
Date Published
1989
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Between 1969 and 1985, the U.S. Supreme Court has expressed both liberal and conservative views on school discipline that varied in the general degree of civil rights protections afforded students, in the amount of control administrators should legally be allowed to exercise, and in the general responsibilities of disciplinarians.
Abstract
Earlier decisions were designed to give school authorities some pause before they imposed penalties or restrained student behaviors, while later decisions have been more supportive of authorities' efforts to control students. A survey of 118 teachers at 4 Chicago public elementary schools evaluated their attitudes with regard to 10 principles concerned with such legal issues as free expression, searches, and due process. Teachers' attitudes were in agreement with liberal Supreme Court attitudes in six cases, in agreement with conservative attitudes in three cases, and split between liberal and conservative positions in one. Thus, 51 percent of teachers were in strong agreement/agreement with the liberal position, 23 percent were in strong disagreement/disagreement, and about 25 percent were neutral or undecided. In contrast, 33 percent were in agreement/strong agreement with the conservative position, 44 percent in disagreement/strong disagreement, and about 25 percent were neutral. Teachers clearly supported tendencies to confer strong civil rights protections on students and valued maintaining such rights even though it makes disciplinary tasks more difficult. When they supported conservative positions, they did so because of overriding concerns for student safety and welfare. 3 tables and 7 footnotes.