Identify the Needs
COLLECT
Data
Some schools may have high suspension rates, some may have other punitive measures that need to be identified for improvement/replacement (e.g. - office referrals per week, negative calls to parents/guardians per week). Document your observations to turn them into data.
Hover over the boxes for more info. If you're not sure how to get started, check out the data collection tables in this guide from the Minnesota Department of Education. (automatic download)
NOTICE
Who
Pay special attention to who is being punished in your school. Research has shown zero-tolerance policies have a disproportionate impact on African American, Latinx, and LGBTQ children.
HAVE A
Chat
Start conversations with people you're comfortable talking to about the data you've collected. Have they observed the same trends? How do they feel about what's happening? How do they feel about discipline in general? If they are firm believers in zero-tolerance policies, they're not ready to be an ally ... yet.