Zero Tolerance, Suspension, and Expulsion: Questions of Equity and Effectiveness

There can be no question that schools need sound disciplinary systems to maintain school safety and promote student learning. Indeed, in the face ofmultiple-victim homicides in the late 1990s, schools have been increasingly motivated to address issues of disruption and violence. Pressure from teachers who are concerned about the safety of their classrooms (Public Agenda, 2004) and from parents who wish to ensure school safety (Pew Research Center, 2000) have motivated schools and communities to search formethods that can promote safe school climates maximally conducive to learning.