Ontario's Progressive Discipline Policy: Exploring Democratic and Undemocratic Practices

• In Event: 75.043 - MTCC Poster Session 17
  In Poster Session: Policy Implementation and Scale

Abstract

In 2007, Ontario, Canada’s approach to student discipline within public elementary and secondary schools shifted from a hardline approach commonly referred to as ‘zero tolerance’ to a more supportive approach described as ‘progressive discipline’. This paper critically analyzes Ontario’s progressive discipline policy by employing a critical democratic framework which aims to determine how policies support and/or undermine critical democratic values, including: equity, inclusion, diversity, participatory decision-making processes, and critical mindedness. Twenty-eight policy documents were analyzed to determine how the policy supports critical democratic education. The study finds that while some aspects of Ontario’s progressive discipline policy support the aforementioned democratic values, in many ways the policy continues to undermine democracy in education and works to maintain an undemocratic status quo.

Author

• Michelle Milani, York University