Page 39 - Journal 89-3 Full

Potential Solutions
The fact that children of color and those who live below the poverty line are
more likely to be removed from the classroom and that children often do not know
how to handle conflicts in the classroom may seem overwhelming, but solutions to
these problems do exist.

Solution Fact One: Keep Children in the Classroom
Children who have social, emotional, and
behavioral needs require multi-tiered supports.
There is not a quick fix for these problems, and Removing zero-tolerance policies
it takes all of the participants (teachers, school
leaders, behavioral staff including outside is an important step in keeping
professionals, parents, the children, and others)
to work together on each child’s needs. Children children in school so that their
should not be removed from the classroom academics do not suffer.
for minor infringements such as coming to
school out of uniform or “loud, obnoxious, or
outrageous behavior” (Fleming School District,
2000, para. 5).
Removing zero-tolerance policies is an important step in keeping children in
school so that their academics do not suffer. The vicious cycle of referrals, suspension,
and expulsion does not lead to better behaviors by children; just the opposite occurs—
these exclusionary practices just make the problem worse (Resilient Educator, 2018;
School Discipline Support Initiative, 2020). When teachers remove a child from the
classroom, learning stops for that child, and this causes learning gaps that lead to
academic failure. Academic failure in the lower grades can be a cause of students
dropping out all school altogether (Kaplan et al., 1997)

Solution Fact Two: Teach Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
Teaching SELwill lead to a reduction of misbehaviors and office referrals (and
the consequential suspension and expulsion). SEL involves a child’s capacity to
understand the feelings of others, including adults and children; to manage their
own feelings and behaviors; and to cooperate and learn from others (Dusenbury &
Weissberg, 2017). The skills of SEL that teachers develop in their students are ones
that have to be taught directly and specifically. Although children come to school
with a variety of skills, many times the skills needed in school are different than the
ones developed at home.
Students need to be directly and explicitly taught (like academic skills) the
interpersonal, social problem-solving, conflict prevention and resolution, and
emotional control, communication, and coping (i.e., social, emotional, and
behavioral self-management) skills—from preschool through high school—
that they need to be successful. (Knoff, 2022, para. 4)
The concepts of SEL have become more prominent in schools. A resource from
the U.S. Department of Education Office of Elementary & Secondary Education
(2020) stated:
The concept of social emotional and behavioral learning has gained more
focused prominence among practitioners, researchers, education reformers,
and other stakeholders. It has become a potential key in helping students

Educators’ Choice 37