Engaging Schools Participating in Capitol Hill Briefing on School Discipline, March 3

On Tuesday, March 3, Engaging Schools Executive Director Larry Dieringer will participate in “From the Police Precinct to the Principal’s Office: The Challenges Facing School Districts One Year After the Release of Federal School Discipline Guidance,” a Congressional briefing exploring changes underway more than a year after the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice released guidance to help school districts develop discipline policies that keep students in school, eliminate racial disparities, and increase positive behavioral supports.

Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Education & Workforce Committee, and Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers, will provide opening remarks. They will be followed by a panel discussion facilitated by Larry exploring on-the-ground efforts to reform discipline practices and the challenges facing school districts as they try to improve school climates.

School districts nationwide are acknowledging the need to change approaches to discipline and lower suspension and expulsion rates that disproportionately affect students of color and students with disabilities. Several school districts across the country provide a model for revising school district Codes of Conduct, confronting the challenges involved in remaking school climates and establishing restorative discipline practices; these include the Syracuse (NY) City School District, with which Engaging Schools is collaborating. This hearing is motivated by continued federal attention and foundation resources needed to effectively implement positive discipline approaches, including training teachers, hiring counselors, and collecting data to track progress.

When: Tuesday, March 3, 2015, 3:00-4:30 p.m. (EST)

Where: 1334 Longworth House Office Building, 240 S. Capitol Street SE, Washington, D.C.

Opening Remarks

• Rep. Bobby Scott
• Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers

Panelists

• Sharon Contreras, Superintendent, Syracuse City School District
• Kim Anderson, Senior Director, Center for Advocacy & Outreach, National Education Association
• Dan Losen, Director, Center for Civil Rights Remedies at UCLA
• Angela Ciolfi, Legal Director, JustChildren Program of the Legal Aid Justice Center, Virginia
• Marsha Weissman, Executive Director, Center for Community Alternatives
• Larry Dieringer, Executive Director, Engaging Schools, Moderator

The briefing is sponsored by the Atlantic Philanthropies and the Open Society Foundations.

If you are interested in attending this briefing, please let us know via email to info@engagingschools.org. We will share a recap following the briefing.