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Schools: Events: Class Disrupted: Disorder and Its Effects on Learning and School Culture

      Janet Corcoran

Welcome and Opening Remarks: Janet Corcoran, President, Common Good

Common Good President Janet Corcoran welcomed attendees, panelists, and commentators, emphasizing Common Good’s commitment to helping “identify what actions must be taken to restore order and a culture of respect in our schools.”

    Deborah Wadsworth

Panel 1. Disorder and Disrespect: A Look Inside Schools

The first panel drew upon the first-hand experiences of teachers, principals, superintendents and special educators regarding the degree of disorder in schools today.

Presenter/Moderator:
Deborah Wadsworth, Senior Advisor, Public Agenda; Member, Common Good Education Advisory Board
  » Selected data and news clips on school disorder

Panelists:
Frederick Brigham, Associate Professor of Special Education, George Mason University

Drema Brown, Director of Aspiring Principals and School Achievement, New Leaders for New Schools

Dee Phillips, Special Assistant to Federation President, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers
  » Power Point: Disorder and Disrespect in the School District of Philadelphia

Jerome F. Wartgow, Former Superintendent, Denver Public Schools

Q&A

    Andrew Rotherham

Panel 2. The Effects of Disorder on Learning and Culture

In the second panel, William Damon discussed the importance of creating a "moral community" in schools. David Osher argued that students cannot succeed academically in an environment that is disorganized and hostile. Eric Hirsch presented data connecting teachers’ willingness to leave the profession with their perceptions of safety and trust in the school community. Deborah Meier concluded the panel by highlighting the misperceptions that exist between adults and students and the need to build stronger connections between the two.

Moderator:
Andrew Rotherham, Co-Founder and Co-Director, Education Sector; Senior Fellow, Progressive Policy Institute

Panelists:
William Damon, Professor of Education, Stanford University; Director, Stanford Center on Adolescence

Eric Hirsch, Director of Special Projects, New Teacher Center at UC-Santa Cruz
  » Power Point: Educator Perceptions of Safety and Discipline Issues

Deborah Meier, Senior Scholar, Steinhardt School of Education, New York University

David Osher, Managing Director, American Institutes for Research
  » Power Point: The Relationship Between Safety, the Social Emotional Conditions for Teaching & Learning, and Learning

Q&A 

    Frederick M. Hess

Panel 3. Law, Legal Consciousness, and Student Discipline

Richard Arum led the third panel by presenting his most recent work, "The School Rights Project," a study based on empirical data from educator and student surveys about perceptions of law and the fairness of law in schools. “Fairness of school discipline is central to youth socialization,” says Arum. “You can’t get kids to internalize norms and values of society unless they think discipline is fair.”

Moderator:
Frederick M. Hess, Resident Scholar and Director of Education Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute

Presenter:
Richard Arum, Professor of Sociology and Education, New York University
» Power Point: Law, Legal Consciousness and Student Discipline

Discussants:
David Bloomfield, Associate Professor of Education, Brooklyn College

Charlotte Frank, Sr. Vice President, Research and Development for McGraw-Hill Education

John Stewart, Eighth Grade English Teacher, Gunston Middle School, Arlington, VA

Discussion

Q&A

      Randi Weingarten

Keynote Address: Randi Weingarten, President, United Federation of Teachers

Randi Weingarten energized the audience in her keynote address by sharing specific examples of what schools can do to improve student behavior and by emphasizing that, “When you have somebody who ought not be in that classroom and every single day disrupts it, everybody else in that classroom gets hurt. And the teacher can’t do what she ought to do.”

      Philip K. Howard

Panel 4. Restoring Order and a Culture of Respect: How Can We Turn This Around?

The final panel provided possible solutions for reducing classroom disorder and improving school climate, ranging from schools receiving tangible supports, such as increased mental health services and teacher training, to a complete rethinking of how the school community goes about setting and enforcing behavior expectations.

Moderator:
Judith Rizzo, Executive Director, James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy

Panelists: 
William Damon, Professor of Education, Stanford University; Director, Stanford Center on Adolescence

Joan Goodman, Professor of Education, University of Pennsylvania

Greg Greicius, Senior Vice President, Educational Initiatives, Turnaround for Children

Philip K. Howard, Founder and Chair, Common Good

Carol Lieber, Senior Consultant, Educators for Social Responsibility

Discussion

Q&A

        Peter Yarrow 

Closing Remarks: Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary; President and Founder, Operation Respect

The forum ended with the inspirational words and music of Peter Yarrow of the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, who founded Operation Respect, a non-profit dedicated to assuring that children have respectful, safe and compassionate learning environments.