A large body of research exists regarding the criticality of school wide discipline systems. Some of the most noted practices involved procedures known as positive behavioral supports. George Sugai and Terrence Scott are two of the leading experts in the field. We have a section of this website devoted entirely to the dissemination of information regarding this theory and method. School wide positive behavioral support systems are necessary if schools are going to be academically, socially, and physically safe for students and educators.

At the most basic level, Positive Behavior Supports establishes a community atmosphere that supports appropriate academic, social, and procedural behavior in schools, classroom, and individually. Be sure to check the link for Positive Behavioral Supports. This section includes school wide intervention procedures based on the Positive Behavioral Support research.

Article Review: Supporting Teachers, Principals, and Students Through Unified Discipline

A recent article featured in Teaching Exceptional Children, Nov/Dec 2000, authored by Algozzine, Audette, Ellis, Marr, and White, suggests a concept referred to as Unified Discipline. Unified discipline is a carefully structured school wide behavior management program. This type of program derives its power by taking the guesswork and emotionality out of dealing with students' inappropriate behaviors. It outlines a behavior management framework for administrators, teachers, and students.
The authors illustrate four basic components to Unified Discipline. First, a unified attitude is described. All participants adopt a consistent point of view about encouraging appropriate behavior and correcting misbehavior. Secondly, unified expectations are established. All participants, meaning school personnel & students, as appropriate, reach consensus on school rules, classroom rules, and classroom procedures. Unified sets of classroom rules and procedures are developed for use with students. For example, there is one set of rules and procedures for kindergarten through second grade, another appropriate set of rules and procedures for third through sixth grade. Next, unified guidelines for verbal correction procedures are established and a consistent set of consequences are adopted. Finally, specific individuals are identified to provide extra support for students who are difficult to manage. These staff members are assigned specific roles and responsibilities when working in this capacity.

The benefits of such a system are well described. It is clear that rules represent behavioral expectations. They are not set in place to be punitive or controlling. Rules implemented correctly depersonalize conflicts. When students come into conflict on behavioral issues, the conflict is between the student and an expectation rather than the student and a teacher or administrator. This type of rule system provides a foundation for establishing and maintaining a consistent, safe, and orderly educational environment.

It is essential to understand that in a system of Unified discipline, school rules apply across all locations and activities within the school, at all times and with all personnel. Major school rules describe actions that threaten the safety and comfort of people in the school. Minor school rules are those that describe actions that would disrupt the orderly flow of the learning process.
Similar guidelines apply to classroom rules. Classroom rules usually address teacher to student communication, student to student communication, student movement, and student work. The rules for classroom procedures apply to specific activities, at all times and will all school staff.
After building the case for using a unified system of discipline, the article illustrates methods for implementing this system. It also highlights and clarifies benefits of using specific techniques. For example, the consistent response to inappropriate behavior using a unified correction procedure teaches the student that what happens when they misbehave is procedural rather than personal. One teacher responds to a rule infraction the same way any other teacher would respond. The teacher is just doing a job. Part of the teacher's job is to follow the outlined unified discipline procedures. Thus the consequences are procedural not personal for the student or the teacher. This is not to imply that this system is completely inflexible. There is a place for cautious alterations if deemed appropriate.
This is a terrific article. It is easy to read and the concepts are well defined and validated. Procedures for developing a unified discipline system and timelines for training and implementation are outlined. One particularly impressive aspect of this article is that the authors suggest specific methodology for collecting empirical data on a Unified Discipline system and how to evaluate the results that the data produce.

The need for school wide behavior management systems is well supported in academic literature. This approach is a powerful method for doing such. Educators at all levels will benefit from the information contained there in.

Full reference: Algozzine, B., Audette, D., Ellis, E., Marr, M., & White, R. (2000). Supporting teachers, principals, and students through unified discipline. Teaching Exceptional Children, 33 (2), 42-47.

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