(An item from the ISHN Member information service)  The news stories we identified this week included a story about an American forum organized by the White House to "rethink school discipline". The news release stated "The U.S. Departments of Education and Justice are hosting teams of superintendents, principals, and teachers from across the country today for "Rethink Discipline," a day-long conference at the White House on creating positive school climates and implementing effective discipline practices. The conference seeks to advance the national conversation about reducing the overuse of unnecessary out of school suspensions and expulsions and replacing these practices with positive alternatives that keep students in school and engaged in learning, but also ensure accountability." According to data released at the Forum , the number of US students losing critical learning time due to out of school suspensions and expulsions is staggering. Over 3 million students are suspended or expelled every year. A number of excellent actions were also announced, including policy, planning and profession al guides, a clearinghouse/web site and a public awareness campaign. The initiative was also linked to other US initiatives on racism, gender equity and similar policy directions. The search for meaningful alternatives to suspension are real and laudable. But do these various actions address the core dilemma for teachers; namely, if one or a few students continually disrupt the order and learning of other students, or if they break defined rules in a significant manner, what is the disciplinary pathway to follow. Particularly if the pathway is made more difficult and complicated by various administrative needs, family and neighbourhood factors and more? Read more>>

(An item from the ISHN Member information service) An article from the August 2013 issue of the Canadian Journal of Educational Administration & Policy reports on a research review examining the impact of a school's culture on physical activity levels. The authors state that " Edgar Schein’s organizational culture model offered the framework for analysis in which pertinent articles were categorized into one of three levels of school culture: (1) artifacts, (2) espoused values, and (3) underlying member assumptions. 
School artifacts associated with physical activity were used more frequently by students and staff when these spaces and equipment were maintained, relevant to the school context and when daily practices allowed access to these artifacts during leisure times. A secondary theme revealed the importance of school-based, adult and student role models; when both were plentiful in schools, students and staff were more active at school on a daily basis. Another key finding indicated that students in Physical Education (PE) classes that reinforced traditional, team games (i.e., basketball, volleyball) were less active than students in PE classes that incorporated culturally relevant, lifestyle, and small-sided games. Read more>>