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Article
A Content Analysis of Catholic School Written Discipline Policies
Journal of Catholic Education
  • Daniel L. Philippe, Loyola University Chicago
  • Claudia M. Hernandez, Loyola University Chicago
  • Pamela Fenning, Loyola University Chicago
  • Katie Nicole Bradshaw Sears, Loyola University Chicago
  • Emily M. McDonough, Loyola University Chicago
  • Elizabeth Lawrence, Loyola University Chicago
  • Michael Boyle, Loyola University Chicago
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2017
Pages
6-35
Disciplines
Abstract

School discipline has traditionally endorsed the use of exclusionary practices (i.e. suspension and expulsion). Such practices can have a negative short- and long-term impact on student lives, and tend to be enforced disproportionately with certain student populations. Although public school discipline policies have received increased scrutiny in recent years, Catholic school policies have received very little attention. This study presents the results of a content analysis of the written discipline policies of 33 Catholic secondary schools from two dioceses within a major metropolitan area. Results suggest that although variability exists in the types of behaviors included in formal written policies, schools in this sample rely heavily on exclusionary practices as possible consequences to many behaviors, even relatively minor ones. Further, they include positive or restorative consequences minimally, if at all. Suggestions for future research related to discipline practices in Catholic schools are made.

Comments

Author Posting. © The Authors 2017. This article is posted here by permission of Loyola Marymount University for personal use, not for redistribution. The article was published in the Journal of Catholic Education, vol. 21, no. 1, 2017, https://doi.org/10.15365/joce.2101022017.

Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0
Citation Information
Daniel L. Philippe, Claudia M. Hernandez, Pamela Fenning, Katie Nicole Bradshaw Sears, et al.. "A Content Analysis of Catholic School Written Discipline Policies" Journal of Catholic Education Vol. 21 Iss. 1 (2017)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/michael-boyle/4/