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This is a seemingly simple question with a complex answer, although the good news is that we do know what works. First, we should always consider the goal of any disciplinary action. Are we attempting to build skills and competencies within the student? Are we hoping that the student will never engage in the behavior in the future? Are we trying to make others safe? Are we demonstrating power and authority? Is the aim to set an example for others?

I would argue that, among other things, schools are in the business of teaching, and this extends to social, emotional, and behavior skills. As Dr. George Bear notes in his article “Discipline: Effective School Practices” (http://www.nasponline.org/publications/booksproducts/HCHS3_Samples/S4H18_Discipline.pdf), a comprehensive school-wide plan promotes the development of self-discipline. This is often achieved through explicit instruction in social, emotional, and behavioral competences; providing opportunities for practice; and offering feedback as needed. This mirrors the traditional model for instruction of academic competencies.  Unfortunately, there is often an assumption that students enter school actually knowing how to problem-solve, resolve conflicts, manage social and emotional pressures, and follow school rules and policies.

In addition to explicit instruction, effective school policies are those that create a strong sense of school connectedness, employ authoritative (vs. authoritarian) discipline practices, utilize "teachable moments", encourage and reinforce appropriate behaviors, and aim to replace inappropriate behaviors rather than dole out punishments. Replacing behaviors sometimes requires experts in the schools, such as school psychologists, to help determine why a behavior is occurring in the first place.

You raise an interesting point - how do you handle severe behaviors, especially those that threaten others? In some cases, schools may be required to call authorities if a student breaks a law (e.g., stabbing, bringing a gun to school, making death threats). However, the research is clear that zero tolerance policies and harsh punitive discipline policies, even for serious behavior violations, lead to worse outcomes for the schools, including the student who violated the rules and the other students in the school.

Certainly, many rely on their logical opinion that harsh punishment teaches students a lesson. However, research argues against this logic.

This applies the logic that students a) know their behavior was wrong; and b) know how to behave differently. These are dangerous assumptions given that many students have never actually seen appropriate modeling of behavior, or had instruction on how to behave in a school setting.

One must be careful in implying that giving consequences, in isolation of any other remediation, actually "teaches" a lesson. Consider what would happen if you started writing something on a piece of paper and I said, "Don't write on that!" Would you have any idea what to do instead? Would you know why I didn't want you writing on that paper? Probably not. However, this interaction often occurs when dealing with inappropriate behaviors. Going further, consider what would happen if you were teaching multiplication to a 6th grader, and the student never learned multiplication before in his previous school. Would you simply punish him for not completing his multiplication homework the night before? The obvious answer would be that someone would need to help this student develop multiplication skills. Why should we treat behavior differently than how students learn basic academic skills?

I think more importantly, the research unequivocally shows that harsh discipline (i.e., kicking students out of school) leads to higher risk of dropout, later incarceration and criminality, and lower education attainment, and this sets a tone for a negative school climate that impacts the entire school building.

You may be interested in reading the article Zero Tolerance and Alternative Discipline Strategies from Dr. Russell Skiba: http://www.nasponline.org/resources/handouts/Zero_Tolerance_35-1_S4-35.pdf

When we are discussing behavior, and social-emotional skills, we are often referring to skills that allow people to function in the world. I don't recall the exact quote, or who said it first, but one of my favorite lines is, "The ability to read and write will get you your first job, and knowing how to behave will allow you to keep it."

I mention this quote because it illustrates that what students learn about behavior, problem-solving, conflict resolution, and social-emotional functioning transcends all areas of their lives, including the school, home, work, and the community. In this regard, one could argue that it is a joint responsibility of caregivers, teachers, coaches, community leaders, and any other adult in a student's life.

I assume when you mention "government" you are referring to the court system. Unfortunately, the courts offer little opportunity for students to learn new skills, and may not actually help ensure students know what they did was wrong - this may simply teach them that it was wrong to get caught.