Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive description of current practices of Class Meetings in five elementary schools in north-central California, as well as the teacher perceptions, the antecedent conditions, and the dynamics in successful implementation, as one potential model for student-centered discipline. Methodology. The research methodology for this dissertation was descriptive case study which was intended to become an interpretive case study given sufficient corroborating data. Data for this study were compiled using questionnaires with open-ended questions as well as personal interviews, observations, and focus groups. Findings. Among school staff interviewed there was unanimous agreement that the Class Meeting strategy was essential to having a well-run classroom and an unwillingness to teach without the opportunity to use Class Meetings as part of their weekly routine. It appears that the initial training is sufficient for rote application of the protocols of Class Meetings. However, as teachers encounter various challenges in continuing the use of Class Meetings, there is additional need for advanced training in how to handle difficult situations as well as the need to understand philosophical positions which would lead to appropriate responses by the teachers. The use of Class Meetings school-wide seems to be a leveler of suspension rates. Four of the five had fewer than two dozen suspensions each year. Conclusions and recommendations. The following comments are five conclusions with implications for action derived from the data collected in this study. (1) The effectiveness of the Class Meeting strategy has been affirmed. (2) Leadership must support the adoption and monitor consistent practice of Class Meetings school-wide. (3) School staff must be given permission to take the time needed for Class Meetings. (4) Communication may be needed for parent approval. (5) Teachers need to understand the benefit of a democratic process rather than an autocratic process of discipline control. It may be that additional training in the psychological grounding would bring more of the reluctant teachers into the active practitioner group.