Professional Development for Teachers Related to School-Wide Suspensions for a Large Urban School System

• In Event: Examining the Impact of School Culture and Climate on Equity and Access

Abstract

Little is known about how professional development can be used to address exclusionary disciplinary practices. The current paper addressed this limitation by examining the potential impact of a professional development intervention, focused on classroom management strategies through training and one-on-one coaching, on reductions in disciplinary practices. School-level suspension and behavioral incidence data were available for a large urban school district. Results reveal that intervention schools experienced significantly reduced suspensions and behavior incidents in the school year following the intervention. The number of coaching sessions predicted significant decreases in suspensions and marginally significant decreases in behavioral incidences. These findings suggest that the professional development may have the potential to shift teacher behavior management practices that reduce exclusionary disciplinary practices.

Authors

• Rachel M Flynn, New York University

• Rachel Ellen Lissy, Ramapo for Children

• Stacey Alicea, Ramapo for Children

• Lisa Tazartes, Ramapo for Children

• Mary M McKay, New York University