Noble Schools Discipline Policy Sure to Hurt Learning

By Mark Barnes

via photopin

If Valerie Strauss, The Washington Post's education blogger, was trying to incite her readers, she certainly succeeded, when she wrote about the Noble Charter School network in Chicago. Quoting a Chicago Tribune story, Strauss shares how students at Noble schools are suspended for things like talking out, not looking at the teacher and slouching.

School leaders say that the schools have high expectations. Noble Superintendent Michael Milkie told the Tribune that the schools use the "broken window" philosophy. "If you allow a lot of windows to be broken, that house is going to turn into one where lots of damage is going on."

Give an inch. . .

So, Milkie and his cronies, Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel among them, believe that if the Noble School children are given the proverbial inch, they'll take the proverbial mile -- an archaic theory with little supporting research.

Not only would Milkie be hard pressed to produce anything valid to suggest that this rigid discipline style improves behavior, it's sure to make students hate learning. Many experts, Alfie Kohn and John Hattie among them, argue that rigor and meanness turn students, especially reluctant learners, against school.

So, Noble Schools may be filled with timely, quiet, frightened children. You're not likely to find many engaged, excited independent learners there, though.

What a shame.



Mark Barnes is an education author and consultant and the publisher of Brilliant or Insane. Learn more about Mark on our Team page. Follow him on Twitter here.

Published by Unknown on Monday, April 14, 2014

Categories: education, politics

• Share This Article

• Facebook

• Twitter

• Google+

• Stumble

• Digg