Spare the Rod: Reforming School Discipline

By Colorado Public Radio Staff
September 9, 2016
Photo: Spare the Rod
In this 1905 photograph from the Library of Congress collection, a teacher holds a switch as a student is punished by wearing a dunce cap. 

A documentary from APM Reports explores how a get-tough attitude prevailed among educators in the 1980s and 1990s. But research shows that zero-tolerance policies don't make schools safer and lead to disproportionate discipline for students of color.

Part of the documentary focuses on discipline in Denver Public Schools -- Colorado Matters spoke with DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg earlier this week and asked him about the issue.

Read the full story and listen to the documentary at APMreports.org. 

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