MetaFilter posts tagged with Children and schools

Did corporal punishment save a struggling school?

jeeves — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:00:08 -0800

Three years ago, David Nixon took over the principalship at John C. Calhoun Elementary School. "Thirty minutes into his first day of school at John C, a father walked into Nixon's office and said, 'I want to give you the authority to whip my son's butt.' Nixon was surprised, but after he thought it over, he decided to give every parent the same option." Did corporal punishment save a struggling school? As of 2008, corporal punishment in American schools is legal in twenty-one states (no longer in Utah), mostly in the southeast. Children with disabilities, minority children, and boys are physically disciplined in schools disproportionately more often than other children, as noted by Human Rights Watch (report) and the Center for Effective Discipline (resources). Still-fascinating Corpun (previously) claims that most American students prefer the "'short sharp shock' of intense but brief pain to long, tedious hours of unhealthy incarceration," and observes that in South Korea, where corporal punishment is both legal and sometimes abusive, seventy percent of students think that teachers' use of the cane is fair. The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (policy) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (policy) both oppose corporal punishment in schools. The AAP also discourages the use of corporal punishment in the home. Elizabeth Gershoff's famous 2002 meta-analysis of 88 studies found ten "strong associations" between corporal punishment and negative child behaviors and experiences. Her 2008 summary report on principles and practices of effective discipline includes 130 references providing evidence and arguments against the use of physical punishment. Not everyone agrees that corporal punishment is always detrimental. (Indeed, Gershoff's meta-study received comments questioning its validity.) Robert Larzelere argues counter to Gershoff that "detrimental child outcomes are associated with the frequency of any disciplinary tactic, not just physical punishment," suggesting that "excessive misbehavior . . . is the actual cause of detrimental outcomes in children." Larzelere and Brett Kuhn's own 2005 meta-analysis finds that optimized corporal punishment results in significantly better outcomes (PDF) than alternatives like time-out, reasoning, privilege removal, scolding, and ignoring. Their executive summary (PDF) asserts that "outcomes of physical discipline depend on how it is applied." They castigate previous studies for ignoring the distinction between abusive vs. optimal use of corporal punishment. The Economist comments on the rapid decline of school corporal punishment elsewhere in the world and refers to the United Nations campaign to end all corporal punishment of children by 2009 as a piece of "Utopian dottiness." Back at John C. Calhoun Elementary, referrals to the principal's office have gone down by 80% since David Nixon's arrival, and the school has won "three statewide Palmetto awards, one for academic performance and two for overall improvement—the school's first such honors in its 35-year history. Not everyone agrees with his methods, but most parents and teachers will tell you [Nixon] couldn't have pulled off such a turnaround without his wooden paddle."

Research into primary education

paduasoy — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 03:54:20 -0800

The Primary Review has published three research reports about primary school education in the UK and elsewhere. The Structure of Primary Education: England and Other Countries. Primary Curriculum and Assessment: England and Other Countries. Press release summarising some of the findings. Link to Primary Review publications page.

Teachers Traumatizing Students of Deployed Soldiers

darian — Wed, 26 Feb 2003 11:27:29 -0800

Teachers Traumatizing Students of Deployed Soldiers "WABI TV reported Friday that the Maine National Guard Family Assistance Center has received about 30 complaints from children of deployed soldiers concerning Principals, Teachers and Guidance Counselors reportedly demeaning the role of their deployed parent. Some children involved are 7 to 9 years of age." More inside...

curiousg — Thu, 28 Mar 2002 09:37:31 -0800

F.B.I. Recruitment comes to Kindergarten? What's going through the minds of the Kiddie ~~Propaganda~~ P.R. Team? Be afraid, be very afraid.

skylar — Mon, 12 Nov 2001 10:02:18 -0800

Bullies Reunited: From the nostalgia trip that brought you Classmates.com and FriendsReunited... "A site for those of us who spent our schooldays tormenting, ridiculing and psychologically disturbing other children."

CrayDrygu — Wed, 25 Apr 2001 07:30:24 -0800

"School bullying called widespread." This one's a real gem. Not only are the results of the study overly predictable, but the article is full of other great realizations, such as how "bullying is [...] unacceptable behavior," and how there is a "possible connection between bullying and violence."

legibility — Thu, 15 Mar 2001 07:22:48 -0800

Coca-Cola stays ahead of the curve. [NY Times, requires free subscription.] Facing increased criticism over commercialism in public schools, Coke vows to change its policies away from blatant advertising and strictly offering sugar-sweetened drinks. Most notable is a potential end to the "Cola Wars" of exclusive contracts with school districts. But with Pepsi following close behind [see end of Post article], is this really a landmark moment, or an attempt to stave off criticism while still branding the available target audience of teenagers?

Animus — Fri, 02 Feb 2001 05:36:33 -0800

Pennsylvania School cut father's opportunity to lunch with his son after he has been there every day for four years. Due to his work schedule this is the only time he has to spend with his son.

palegirl — Wed, 05 Apr 2000 17:39:16 -0800

"2000 may well mark the year that the traditional arithmetic of the city’s private schools irrevocably changed. It used to be so simple. Once you got your child in a fancy nursery school—and that was relatively easy, because how many other parents would shell out thousands of dollars for a nursery school?—your child’s future was set. After nursery school came a fancy private school. Then the Ivy League. In other words, the so-called "feeder school" theory, long denied by school officials but treated as gospel by wealthy parents. But that formula has gone the way of the Old Math."

i just can not relate!