George Bear, PhD, is Professor of School Psychology at the University of Delaware. aFormerly a school psychologist in Iowa and Virginia, he continues to work in the schools weekly as a practitioner. For the past 8 years he has been a consultant to the state of Delaware's Positive Behavioral Supports (PBS) initiative, devoting much of this time to evaluating the impact of PBS on school climate and student behavior. He has published over 60 journal articles, book chapters, and books, most of which focus on school discipline and the social, emotional, and moral development of children.
What can schools do to promote learning, schoolwide discipline, and positive school and classroom climates? Written by one of the world's leading experts, this book explains the limitations of widely used--and often competing--approaches to school discipline. Bear provides comprehensive solutions that combine the best elements of popular approaches in order to promote change at the student, classroom, and school levels. The balanced, proven strategies in this book will be welcomed by students, teachers, school practitioners, and administrators. Bear describes how to foster students' self-discipline and character while bringing about lasting change in a school. --Brian J. Bartels, MA, NCSP, CAS, Director, Psychological Services, Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland This book is unique in emphasizing that self-discipline should be addressed as a process with its own essential components and evidence base. Bear describes critical steps for making self-discipline an explicit part of schoolwide behavior management approaches. As a practitioner who is part of schoolwide positive behavior support teams, I found insights into a range of frequently discussed disciplinary issues in this book. I strongly recommend it! --Rhonda J. Armistead, MS, NCSP, school psychologist, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, North Carolina All school psychologists and educators who work with children in primary and secondary settings should read this book. It provides a comprehensive guide to the theory and benefits of addressing challenging behaviors while actively promoting self-discipline and prosocial behavior. Bear presents up-to-date, evidence-based techniques in this user-friendly guide. --Amber L. Evenson, MS, EdS, school psychologist, Proviso Area for Exceptional Children Special Education Cooperative, Maywood, Illinois Bear offers an invaluable practical synthesis of evidence-based methods and approaches for schools to develop balanced and effective disciplinary programs, based on locally determined need. He does a superb job of fostering thoughtful and informed consideration of key issues, effectively translating research to practice. This is a great resource for school practitioners, administrators, and teachers, as well as those in preservice training. I recommend it as a supplemental text for graduate-level courses. --Matthew J. Mayer, PhD, Department of Educational Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey