Let my people go


To some, a sure sign that a discipline policy is working is to examine how many more kids are getting busted. This is the mind set of many zero-tolerance advocates who understand little of behaviorist theory or even the basic tenets of operant conditioning...we are not sure they even get the Pavlov's dog thing but they sure salivate at the opportunity to suspend students. Witness the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) zero-tolerance policy for cell phones, tardiness or writing on a desk. Could get you suspended or, in the desk debacle, arrested and sent to the police station. No wonder CPS spends 15 times the amount on security guards compared to career and college counselors. Are these guards on an incentive program...more busts = more pay (what would BF Skinner say...just a pop quiz). If a disciplinary policy results in a steady increase in infractions...it is ineffective. Can you spell extinction of behavior?

STORY: Chicago Students Demand Disciplinary Policy Revisions

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