Taking back control of the classrooms
By Philip K Howard
The dirty little secret of America’s schools is that teachers have lost control of the classroom. Disrespect is commonplace. Disorder is an epidemic—43 percent of high school teachers say they spend more than half their time maintaining order instead of teaching, according to a Public Agenda survey.
Learning is impossible in these conditions. One misbehaving student steals the floor, spoiling the learning opportunity for the other 29 students. “You know, it really doesn’t take very many kids to ruin a classroom,” observed David Adams, superintendent of Shelbyville Central Schools.
The overall effect of classroom disorder is an educational disaster—students in many schools get, at most, half the instructional time they need. Most students are eager to learn, but they need an orderly classroom to be able to focus on lessons.
The villain is not some unavoidable cultural trend—parochial schools and good charter schools in the same neighborhoods as public schools do not suffer disorder. The villain is too much law. There is a broad perception—by teachers and students alike—that teachers lack the legal authority to enforce respect and order. For example:
Teachers don’t break up fights because of fear that they will be accused of inappropriate physical contact. One teacher in Indiana didn’t even feel she could protect herself when put in a chokehold by a student. “I knew I could get out of it,” she said, “but the fear of legal ramifications if something happened to the child was there in my head the whole time.”
Teachers don’t remove students from the classroom because of the prospect of being dragged into a bureaucratic hearing by any angry parent. Disciplinary hearings can resemble courtroom proceedings and can consume days by the principal and teacher.
For decades, teachers have been told that any disciplinary decision is fraught with potential legal consequences.
Indiana stands at the threshold of being the national leader of a movement to let teachers take back control of the classroom. In May, Gov. Mitch Daniels signed into law two bills designed to restore order to Indiana’s schools. The first law makes clear that teachers can remove a disorderly student from the classroom for up to five days without legal process, and cannot be sued except in extraordinary circumstances. The second law requires school districts to develop plans to improve discipline and behavior within schools. These bills enjoyed bipartisan and nearly unanimous support.
Only by restoring clear authority can schools rebuild a culture of order and respect. Legal clarity is essential. Today, students have this vague notion that they have rights to challenge any decision they don’t like. One poll showed that 78 percent of middle and high school teachers have been threatened with lawsuits or violations of rights—by their students. Teachers need to be able to respond immediately without insecurity.
Indiana’s leadership in changing the law is only the first step, however. Legal clarity works to restore authority only if educators implement it. Restoring order requires a change in procedures. Indiana must prepare and distribute materials that state in clear terms what teachers now can do, and principals must be trained to reinforce the message. Schools must set aside classrooms and supervisors to manage students who are unable to abide by norms of civil behavior.
“Education cannot begin,” as Daniels observed, “until disorder and chaos end.” Giving teachers the confidence and the tools to take back control of the classroom holds the potential of transforming American education.
Originally published in the June 7, 2009, edition of the Indianapolis Star.
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