Cooperative Discipline and Contracts

COOPERATIVE DISCIPLINE AND CONTRACTS

Mark Karadimos, Dean of Students, J. S. Morton East High School, Cicero, IL 60804

708.222.5694, eveloped the following website for a tutorial: http://www.mathguide.com/services/Discipline/

CONTRACTS

“Behavior contracts are formal written agreements regarding behavior, which are negotiated between a child and a school staff member, parent, or other individual. These contracts are effective in altering behavior in students of all ages (Mathur et al., 1995; Rutherford and Nelson, 1995). Contracting has contributed significantly to behavioral changes in children and youth who are disruptive, delinquent, or antisocial (Rutherford and Polsgrove, 1981). The contract should include these things:

·  A clear definition of the behavior the child is expected to exhibit

·  The positive consequences for performing the desired behavior

·  The negative consequences for not performing the desired behavior

·  What the student -- and each adult involved -- is expected to do

·  A plan for maintaining the desired behavior (Schloss and Smith, 1994)

The contract should be in written form with copies for all parties involved.[1]

According to Mark Karadimos,[2] the purpose of creating a contract is to:

·  Get a student to realize there is a problem, i.e. the behavior conflicts with personal growth as well as school growth,

·  Allow a student to overcome the problem,

·  Invite a student to connect specific behaviors with specific consequences,

·  Make a student agree to the terms of the contract with the use of a signature.

He adds that elements of the contract are as follows.

·  Outline the full demands placed on all students. Refer to Student Handbook.

·  Identify student’s particular problem and flesh it out in detail. The framework of the contract will rest on this section.

·  Positive rewards for proper conduct (return of privileges, treats, …)

·  Outline a list of consequences that correlate in severity for the problem. This step will detail the severity in which the problem erupts and the frequency of the eruptions. This section must adhere to the existing discipline code for the school/district. Therefore, neither irregular consequences nor consequences that are more severe than normal are allowed.

·  Include a section that states willingness to adhere to above regulations.

·  Have student, administrator, teachers, and parent(s) (if possible) sign the contract.

SAMPLE

I have often used a simple contract that looks something like this inspired by cooperative discipline (Albert, 1996; Christensen):

Date: ______

Period: ______

Time: ______

Student’s statement of problem:

______

Teacher’s statement of problem:

______

Student’s resolution:

______

Student’s signature: ______

Teacher’s signature: ______

Parent’s signature: ______

References

About. (n.d.) Behavior Calendar. Online resource accessed on September 25th, 2005 at: http://specialed.about.com/library/templates/contract1.doc.

California Teachers Association. (1999) Behavior Contracts. Online resource accessed on September 25th, 2005 at: http://www.nea.org/classmanagement/contract.html.

Albert, L. (1996). Cooperative Discipline. Circle Pines, Minnesota: American Guidance Services, Inc.

Christensen, C. Cooperative Discipline Overview Site. Retrieved November 26, 2006, from http://members.tripod.com/tkmoyer/CooperativeDiscipline/index.htm

1

[1] Retrieved Nov. 26, 2007 from the California Teachers’ Association: http://www.nea.org/classmanagement/contract.html

[2] Retrieved Nov. 26, 2007 from http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:NOd0sVCr3tYJ:www.mathguide.com/services/Discipline/Contracts.doc+students+discipline+contracts&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=ca