WHEN I was in high school, discipline meant structure, order, and clear boundaries. There were consequences, yes, but the cultural climate was different. Authority was rarely questioned, and social influences were not as relentless or invasive as they are today. The time in which we now live is a different dispensation. Something has gone terribly wrong with this generation — or perhaps more accurately, something has gone terribly wrong with the systems shaping this generation.

We have become a nation that increasingly glorifies violence, disrespect, and crudeness. From music and social media to community conflicts and political rhetoric, our children are immersed in environments saturated with aggression and performative bravado. Schools are not isolated from this reality; they are mirrors of it.

Yet, in many Jamaican schools, the first response to misconduct remains suspension.

While suspension has its place in extreme circumstances — particularly when safety is compromised — the routine and reflexive use of out-of-school suspension represents a dated and myopic response to what is fundamentally a systemic problem. Those of us entrusted with educating Jamaica’s children must resist knee-jerk reactions. Research from across the world demonstrates that exclusionary discipline does far more harm than good.

It is time we confront the evidence.

What Research Says About Suspension

1) Suspension does not improve behaviour:
A growing body of international research shows that suspension fails to correct behavioural problems in the long term.

The American Psychological Association (APA) Zero Tolerance Task Force (2008) concluded that exclusionary policies such as suspension and expulsion do not improve school safety or student behaviour. Instead, they are associated with increased disengagement and a higher likelihood of repeated infractions.

Similarly, longitudinal studies in the United States and Australia have found that students who are suspended are significantly more likely to be suspended again, creating a cycle of exclusion rather than rehabilitation.

In the United Kingdom, research from the Institute of Education (University College London) revealed that exclusion often exacerbates behavioural problems by reinforcing feelings of alienation and resentment.

In essence, suspension removes the child from the learning environment but rarely addresses the underlying cause of the behaviour.

2) Suspension increases dropout and delinquency risks: One of the most troubling findings in global research is the link between suspension and the so-called “school-to-prison pipeline”.

A landmark study found that even one suspension in grade 9 significantly increased a student’s likelihood of dropping out of high school. In the United States, students who are suspended are up to three times more likely to enter the juvenile justice system.

In South Africa, research on exclusionary discipline similarly found that suspended students were more likely to become disengaged from formal education and gravitate towards antisocial peer networks.

When a student is suspended for extended periods, they are often unsupervised during school hours. In communities already struggling with crime and gang recruitment, this is a dangerous gamble.

In Jamaica, where youth violence remains a national concern, can we afford policies that increase the likelihood of dropout and delinquency?

3) Suspension harms academic achievement: Education researchers consistently report that suspension correlates with lower academic performance.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in its Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) findings, has shown that schools that rely heavily on punitive discipline tend to have poorer overall academic outcomes. Students who are suspended miss critical instructional time, fall behind in coursework, and struggle to catch up.

A child removed from school for five or 10 days does not merely lose those days. They lose continuity, momentum, and connection.

We must ask: Are we disciplining in ways that protect learning or in ways that sabotage it?

A Deeper Issue: Hostile School Environments

It is equally troubling that in some cases educators themselves contribute to hostile learning environments through verbal abuse, physical intimidation, or humiliating language.

Global research on school climate underscores a simple truth: Learning cannot take place in a hostile environment.

Studies from Finland, Canada, and Singapore — countries consistently ranked among the top in educational performance — show that positive teacher-student relationships are one of the strongest predictors of academic success. Emotional safety is foundational to cognitive growth.

When students experience humiliation or fear, the brain’s stress response is activated. Neuroscience research demonstrates that chronic stress impairs memory formation and executive functioning — precisely the skills required for learning.

Learning is an art, and its delivery must be precise. Discipline delivered through degradation does not produce respect; it produces resistance.

The Myth of ‘Toughness’

There remains a persistent belief that strict punitive measures are necessary to maintain order. However, countries that have shifted away from zero-tolerance approaches have not experienced chaos. In fact, they have seen improvements.

• Restorative justice (New Zealand and Canada): New Zealand pioneered restorative justice practices in schools, particularly in addressing youth offending. Instead of automatic suspension, students engage in mediated dialogues with affected parties. The focus is accountability, empathy, and repairing harm. Research shows reductions in repeat offences and improved school climate.

Canadian provinces implementing restorative practices report decreases in suspensions and improvements in attendance and academic performance.

• Positive behavioural interventions and supports (PBIS) — United States

PBIS is a structured, evidence-based framework that teaches expected behaviour explicitly and reinforces them positively. Schools implementing PBIS have reported significant reductions in disciplinary referrals and suspensions. The emphasis is on proactive rather than reactive discipline.

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) – Global

Meta-analyses of social-emotional learning programmes, conducted across multiple countries, show improvements in behaviour, academic achievement, and emotional regulation. Children cannot regulate what they have never been taught to regulate.

So What Is the Way Forward for Jamaica?

Suspension should not be abolished entirely. In cases involving serious violence or immediate safety threats, temporary removal may be necessary. However, it must be used sparingly and strategically — not reflexively.

Here are research-backed solutions Jamaica should consider:

1) Restorative discipline models

Instead of asking: What rule was broken and what punishment is deserved? We should ask:

Who was harmed? How can the harm be repaired? How can we prevent recurrence?

This approach builds responsibility rather than resentment.

2) In-school intervention centres

Rather than sending students home, schools can implement structured in-school suspension with counselling, academic support, and behavioural reflection activities. Students remain supervised and continue learning.

3) Increased guidance counsellors and school psychologists

Many behavioural issues are rooted in trauma, poverty, family instability, or exposure to violence. Research across Brazil, the United States, and the UK shows that access to school-based mental health professionals reduces behavioural incidents.

We cannot discipline trauma out of a child.

4) Teacher training in classroom management

Professional development in de-escalation techniques, culturally responsive pedagogy, and trauma-informed care is critical. Educators must be equipped not only with subject knowledge but with relational intelligence.

5) Parental and community engagement

Behavioural change is sustained when families and communities are involved. Schools cannot function in isolation from the social ecosystem shaping children.

6) Clear national policy reform

The Ministry of Education should consider revising disciplinary frameworks to prioritise inclusion, prevention, and rehabilitation over exclusion.

A National Imperative

We must find a way to discipline our students without having them out of school for extended periods. Exclusion may feel decisive, but research shows it is often counterproductive. If we continue to suspend at high rates, we risk deepening the very social problems we seek to solve.

Jamaica’s future depends on the intellectual and moral formation of its youth. Schools must be sanctuaries of structure and safety — not pipelines of exclusion.

This is not a call for leniency. It is a call for wisdom. Discipline must be corrected. Correction must educate. Education must be restored. Suspension, used sparingly and strategically, may have its place, but as a primary tool, it is outdated. The evidence is clear.

If we are serious about reducing violence, increasing academic performance, and building a stronger Jamaica, we must move beyond knee-jerk reactions and embrace evidence-based reform. The question is not whether we can afford to change our disciplinary approach.

The question is whether we can afford not to.

Dr Ryan Reddie is dean of discipline at Papine High School. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or ryanreddie33@gmail.com.