and instruction at National Louis University in Bolingbrook, Illinois. His diverse background in education has provided him with the knowledge of how to best apply evidence-based methods and student interventions to improve student behavior and increase student achievement.
Dr. Parker has a strong belief in creating a school climate in which the entire staff goes above and beyond to meet the academic and social-emotional needs of all students. He has presented throughout the United States at the top education conferences, including the Every Student Succeeds Act Conference, Staff Development for Educators, and the National Principals Conference. Dr. Parker is a professional development provider and conducts workshops titled “The Power of Building Trusting Relationships With Students at Risk” and “Implementing a Resilience Program for Students at Risk.”
Dr. Parker received a bachelor’s degree in physical education and health from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa; a master’s degree in educational administration from Governors State University in University Park, Illinois; and a doctorate in educational leadership from Argosy University in Chicago, Illinois.
To learn more about Dr. Parker’s work, go to www.bestpathwaytosuccess.com or follow @BestPathway on Twitter.
To book Don Parker for professional development, contact [email protected].
Foreword
By Robert Jackson
I have been involved in education in some capacity since 1995. I have authored five books for educators, parents, and students, and I speak across the United States at educational conferences and schools. I understand the importance of building positive relationships with students and how these are key to educators’ success with their students in the classroom. Many educators are lacking in this area, causing our students, especially those coming from tough circumstances, to continue to fail miserably.
Don Parker knows something about building strong, healthy relationships with students. He has successfully done so as a teacher, school administrator, and principal in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs since 1997. His research and experience have led him to write this book.
Statistics are stacked against troubled students, especially students of color, who researchers predict will be incarcerated at alarming numbers. In 2011–2012, about 3.2 million public school students received out-of-school suspensions (National Center for Education Statistics, 2017a). Suspensions and trouble at school can lead to students’ first contact with the criminal justice system. Schools are actually pushing students into the juvenile justice system by having them arrested at school.
Research finds that students who have been suspended are more likely to be held back a grade and drop out of school entirely (Nelson & Lind, 2015). Of students who drop out, 60 percent will be incarcerated at some point. If educators simply take a highly organized approach to keeping students in school, it will make a difference in future crime statistics (Lynch, 2015). Dr. Parker and I are disturbed by these statistics and work tirelessly to create more of a positive destiny for students at risk. Every student is one caring adult away from being a success story.
Each chapter of his book gives strategies and solutions to educators who are working with students who come from troubling backgrounds. You can’t teach who you can’t reach. Connecting with students is key to the success of any educator, and this book gives clear strategies of how to connect with troubled students. Students learn from their home environments and school environments. We can’t control what happens at home, but we can teach life skills to our students to help them navigate through school.
Many students come in daily hurting with low self-esteem and no hope for the future. It’s our job as educators to teach students how to activate their power. In this book, Dr. Parker gives strategies for effectively managing the classroom, getting to the root of the problem with students, teaching students how to grow academically, and helping students envision hope for their future. With his background and research, Dr. Parker clearly has relevant experience in this area. Every chapter provides thought-provoking strategies that educators and administrators can use right away.
Our mission as educators should never change from educating, activating, and motivating all students despite their backgrounds. Everywhere, educators are struggling in this area, which in turn causes our students to fail. I’m excited about Dr. Parker’s book because it addresses all the topics that many educators struggle with. Our children are our future and deserve our best. I’m excited that he has shared his successful strategies and solutions with others. You are going to enjoy this book!
Introduction
Teaching is much more difficult than it used to be. This lament is common among teachers and administrators. Sometimes this sentiment is founded on mounting paperwork and professional responsibilities. Other times, it is a result of the ever-changing bureaucratic requirements of the job. But the most common reason for this complaint is student behavior.
Seasoned educators have said that they wish teaching were more like it was when they first started—when students and parents alike revered teachers. Novice teachers come in expecting respectful, hardworking students to be the rule and not the exception; they foresee neither the number nor the depth of the challenges awaiting them. Whether seasoned or novice, teachers having to devote more time to discipline than instruction is a shared frustration.
While some believe that zero-tolerance policies are appropriate to deal with discipline issues, I have found in my experience that holding in-depth discussions with students and building relationships with them is far more effective. Because of the inability to build relationships with students and find effective solutions to behavior problems, students are often funneled out of school into the juvenile and criminal justice systems as a result of zero-tolerance policies. The following sections discuss this shift in more detail, after which I provide an overview of the rest of the book.
School Discipline
Discipline problems are prevalent in U.S. public schools and continue to be one of the greatest challenges in education (Muscott et al., 2004). According to C. Stephen Wallis (1995), “The bad behavior and loss of respect exhibited daily in America’s public schools indicate an institution in deep trouble” (p. 17). School discipline is a prevalent problem and does not discriminate among schools; school discipline is everybody’s problem (Barton, Coley, & Wenglinsky, 1998). “Many public school teachers cite student attitudes, such as apathy and disrespect for teachers, as a major problem facing schools today” (Chen, 2019). Schools in cities, in suburbs, and in rural areas serving students from all racial backgrounds experience the same struggles with student behavior. These problems are critical factors in student academic achievement and support, placing the issue of classroom order and school discipline front and center in school reform efforts to enhance student performance.
School discipline problems and student misbehavior don’t only negatively affect academic achievement; they also negatively affect teachers’ attitudes (Jackson, 1998). Mike Ford (2013) states:
The specific ways a disruptive student might hurt the learning ability of other students are fairly self-evident. One effect might be decreased teacher effectiveness…. A teacher who spends large chunks of his or her time dealing with student discipline is not spending time on instruction. Inevitably, other students in a disruptive environment will suffer.
Teachers must
