Hvis australske skoler ønsker at forbedre elevernes disciplin, skal de løse disse fem problemer

NSW er i gang med at revidere sin tilgang til suspensioner og udvisninger.

I henhold til et planforslag, der starter i 4. semester, kan eleverne højst sendes hjem tre gange om året. Dette er designet til at reducere det høje antal sanktioner mod udsatte børn i offentlige skoler. Men det er blevet mødt med modstand fra lærere, som siger, at det vil øge sikkerhedsrisici ved håndtering af forstyrrende elever.

Dette sker midt i en bredere debat om, hvordan man griber elevernes disciplin an, som fortsat er et af de sværeste spørgsmål i australske skoler. Synspunkterne om elevers adfærd er forskelligartede og ofte lidenskabelige, og nogle argumenterer for, at elever bør "straffes".

Desværre afspejler disse synspunkter ikke altid forskningen, som viser, at hårde tilgange gør studerendes frigørelse værre.

Hvad er skoleekskludering?

Udvisninger og udvisninger bruges traditionelt af skolerne til at håndtere problematisk elevadfærd.

De gives til elever, der forstyrrer skolernes "gode orden" eller truer andres sikkerhed. Skoler bruger suspensioner til at hjælpe med at ændre uproduktiv elevadfærd eller give tid til at implementere andre strategier for at undgå gentagne situationer.

Længden af ​​skolesuspensioner vil blive halveret, og elever vil ikke blive sendt hjem mere end tre gange om året under en ny adfærdsstrategi i NSW offentlige skoler | @JordsBaker https://t.co/9KqQW1ZFqr

— The Sydney Morning Herald (@smh) 18. februar 2022

Ekskluderingerne varierer i Australien. De kan enten være i kort tid, lang tid, eller de kan endda være permanente.

Stats- og territoriumslovgivning og afdelingsdisciplinpolitikker giver vejledning i, hvordan skoler bør forebygge og reagere på problematisk elevadfærd rundt omkring i Australien.

Nylige data fra stater indikerer, at skoleekskluderinger er stigende. For eksempel var der i det vestlige Australien et nyt højdepunkt på 18.068 suspensioner i 2021, en stigning på 13 % fra 2020.

Fem problemer, der kræver mere opmærksomhed

Vi undersøger, hvordan og hvorfor australske skoler bruger ekskluderende praksis – som suspensioner – til at håndtere uordnede elever.

Politikere og skoler skal være mere opmærksomme på følgende spørgsmål, når det kommer til disciplin og adfærd.

1. Nogle grupper af elever suspenderes oftere

Forskning gennem de sidste tre årtier har konsekvent vist, at suspensioner og udvisninger er uforholdsmæssigt målrettet mod studerende med forskellig baggrund eller minoritetsbaggrund. Dette er især tilfældet for dem med et handicap eller dem med specifikke racemæssige, etniske og klassemæssige baggrunde.

For eksempel, i NSW i 2021, mens 3,3 % af alle studerende blev suspenderet, blev 10 % af aboriginal-studerende og 8,4 % af alle studerende med handicap suspenderet.

Dette er ikke kun tilfældet i Australien, men også i USA, Storbritannien og New Zealand.

2. Vi har ikke det fulde billede

Official statistics provided by education departments offer a publicly available account as to the number of students schools have suspended and expelled from schools.

However, these figures do not always present an accurate picture. Students can be excluded from the classroom in other ways, that are not captured in official data.

For example, schools might let students remain on the school grounds for partial or full days, but not let them join their peers for lessons. This allows schools to "maintain statistical respectability."

3. What else is going on in students' lives?

Often discussions on how to manage students' behavior focus on responding to the individual's academic failure, behavior or disinterest in school. They don't look at the broader complexities of their lives.

When looking at whether suspension or exclusion is an appropriate discipline technique, schools should consider the likely impact on a child's life chances, especially for marginalized children. Will a suspension put at risk the chances of the student completing school? Will the student be supervised while they are not allowed to attend school?

Understanding how poverty and other forms of social inequality contribute to behavior in schools is important.

There are many other ways to manage students' behavior that are more supportive and can lead to more positive outcomes for the school, students and families. For example, teaching students how to manage conflict or how to manage their anger.

4. Make students feel valued

Research tells us students value schools which make trust, respect and care central to everything that happens there.

If we are going to help students connect to schooling, we need to look at the deeper causes of student disengagement. This means understanding and attending to students who feel like they do not matter or do not fit in or feel like their interests are not recognized.

This requires a commitment from schools to connect to student's lives and communities as the foundation for curriculum design and learning.

Treating teachers like professionals and giving them the time and resources to plan engaging and differentiated lessons is critical. This also involves talking and listening to what young people have to say.

5. The broader political context

Schools of course exist in a broader social and political climate. In Australia, the trend in education has been to prioritize individuals and individualism over the public good.

At the broader level, this has seen an emphasis on standards, performance and national testing.

At the micro level, this encourages schools to view problem student behaviors as the responsibility of individuals. So this means there is a focus on blaming "disruptive" students, "dud" teachers or "negligent" parents, rather than look at the influence of broader public policy settings.

So, while the NSW government is making positive steps, there is still so much more to be done to improve our approach to student discipline. + Udforsk yderligere

Schools unfairly targeting vulnerable children with exclusion policies

Denne artikel er genudgivet fra The Conversation under en Creative Commons-licens. Læs den originale artikel.