For Immediate Release: June 4, 2014
Contact: Renée Rybak Lang, 703.740.4841, reneerl@nasbe.org
Arlington, Va. — The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) has awarded grants to two state boards of education — Oregon and Virginia — to strengthen their capacity to adopt and implement policies that promote positive school discipline and limit punitive and exclusionary practices. The grant awards will support work in these states through December 2014.
The grants, which total $10,000, are part of a NASBE project that examines state disciplinary policies, practices, and reforms. NASBE awarded grants to states that intend to improve school climate and discipline in one of the following areas: School safety and law enforcement; discriminatory discipline and disparate impact; teacher training and preparation; and chronic absenteeism and student engagement.
The state board in Oregon will receive $5,000 to convene a statewide task force to develop a plan to help local districts identify, prevent, and address discriminatory discipline practices and their impact on students’ academic achievement and social and emotional development. The state board will partner with the Oregon Department of Education, school districts, and academic scholars to develop data-driven strategies that integrate restorative justice practices and principles with existing behavior management frameworks, such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS).
State board members in Virginia will use their $5,000 grant to partner with the state department of education in developing model policies and practices that use problem-solving and prevention methods to address chronic absenteeism and student disengagement rather than punitive measures. School districts across the state will use these guidelines with best practices to address behavior problems in more constructive ways.
“Too often, inflexible zero-tolerance policies have taken disciplinary decisions out of the hands of school-based educators who know their students best,” says NASBE Executive Director Kristen Amundson. “This has led to far too many suspensions, expulsions, and referrals to the criminal justice system overall — and the students affected have been disproportionately students of color and those with disabilities. The work of these state boards is intended to promote best practices in disciplinary policies that are equitable and result both in safer schools and more students staying in school.”
NASBE’S school discipline project and related state grants are funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies. NASBE has also contracted with American Institutes for Research (AIR) to provide states with additional technical assistance for this initiative. The grants were awarded on a competitive basis, and all applications were reviewed by an independent review panel. Learn more about NASBE’s state grants opportunities.
The National Association of State Boards of Education is the only national organization giving voice and adding value to the nation’s state and territorial boards of education. A nonprofit organization founded in 1958, NASBE works to strengthen state leadership in education policymaking; advocate equality of access to educational opportunity; promote excellence in educating all students; and assure responsible lay governance of education. Learn more at www.nasbe.org.
The Atlantic Philanthropies are dedicated to bringing about lasting changes in the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Atlantic is a limited life foundation that makes grants through its five program areas: Aging, Children & Youth, Population Health, Reconciliation & Human Rights, and Founding Chairman. Atlantic is active in Bermuda, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United States and Vietnam. Learn more at www.atlanticphilanthropies.org.
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