Grappling with Discipline in Autonomous Schools: New Approaches from D.C. and New Orleans (original) (raw)

2016, Center on Reinventing Public Education

This report was made possible by a grant from the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation. We thank the Foundation for its support. However, the statements made and views expressed in this report are solely the responsibility of the authors. We would also like to thank our peer reviewers, including Karega Rausch, for providing valuable feedback on an early version of this report. We are indebted to the many education and community leaders in both Washington, D.C., and New Orleans who generously lent their time to this research by welcoming our interviews and patiently answering our follow-up questions. Those who were instrumental in developing our understanding and documentation of discipline policy in these two cities include leaders at the D.C. Public Charter School Board, as well as at the Office of the State Superintendent of Instruction and State Board of Education. In New Orleans, various officials at the Recovery School District in New Orleans provided both insights and documentation of their recent work. We also thank the various charter school leaders, children's advocates, and community and civic leaders in both Washington, D.C., and New Orleans for helping us understand the early impact of the changes to school discipline policies. ABOUT THE AUTHORS Betheny Gross, PhD, is a senior research analyst and the research director at CRPE. She coordinates CRPE's quantitative research initiatives, including analysis of portfolio districts, public school choice, and common enrollment systems. Dr. Gross has examined evidence and outcomes of district reform across the country and has advised and consulted with district leaders to formulate strategy and implementation. She is coauthor of Strife and Progress: Portfolio Strategies for Managing Urban Schools (Brookings, 2013) and author of numerous research reports and articles. Dr. Gross holds a BA in Economics and Urban Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, an MA in Economics from the University of Iowa, and a PhD in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Wisconsin Madison. Sivan Tuchman is a doctoral candidate in the University of Arkansas, Department of Education Reform. Her research focuses on policy concerns related to students with disabilities and special education. In particular, Ms. Tuchman focuses on the identification of students in special education and inclusion of students with disabilities. She is also one of the few scholars in the country who is working to better understand the experiences of students with disabilities who participate in school choice programs such as public charter schools, private school vouchers, homeschooling, and virtual learning. Ms. Tuchman holds a BA in Sociology from the