Zero tolerance. (Education).If push comes to shove in the high school hallway, don't count on an apology and handshake to end the matter. That's the lesson being learned by students across the U.S. as more and more schools treat misbehavior with "zero tolerance The policy of applying laws or penalties to even minor infringements of a code in order to reinforce its overall importance and enhance deterrence. Since the 1980s the phrase zero tolerance has signified a philosophy toward illegal conduct that favors strict imposition of ," meaning that all infractions are punished, no exceptions. The result: a hefty increase in detentions, suspensions, and expulsions. The numbers are startling star·tle v. star·tled, star·tling, star·tles v.tr. 1. To cause to make a quick involuntary movement or start. 2. To alarm, frighten, or surprise suddenly. See Synonyms at frighten. ; in Chicago schools Chicago School Group of architects and engineers who in the 1890s exploited the twin developments of structural steel framing and the electrified elevator, paving the way for the ubiquitous modern-day skyscraper. , the number of students expelled has jumped tenfold tenfold Adjective 1. having ten times as many or as much 2. composed of ten parts Adverb by ten times as many or as much Adj. 1. in the past three years. The get-tough approach was inspired, in part, by the rash of school shootings
Zero tolerance has won support from many parents and some students, but has also prompted plenty of criticism. "Raising a child is about patience," says Joan First of the National Coalition of Advocates for Students. "It seems to me that zero-tolerance policies are the ultimate impatience." |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion