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"These Kids Are Out of Control"
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"These Kids Are Out of Control"
Why We Must Reimagine "Classroom Management" for Equity

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September 2018 | 200 pages | Corwin

Today’s classrooms reimagined

If you’re looking for a book on how to “control” your students, this isn’t it! Instead, this is a book on what classroom learning could be if we aspire to co-create more culturally responsive and equitable environments—environments that are safe, affirming, learner-centered, intellectually challenging, and engaging. If we create the kind of places where our students want to be . . . 

A critically important resource for teachers and administrators alike, “These Kids Are Out of Control” details the specific practices, tools, beliefs, dispositions, and mindsets that are essential to better serving the complex needs of our diverse learners, especially our marginalized students. Gain expert insight on: 

  • What it means to be culturally responsive in today’s classroom environments, even in schools at large
  • How to decide what to teach, understand the curriculum, build relationships in and outside of school, and assess student development and learning
  • The four best practices for building a classroom culture that is both nurturing and rigorous, and where all students are seen, heard, and respected
  • Alternatives to punitive disciplinary action that too often sustains the cradle-to-prison pipeline

Classroom “management” takes care of itself when you engage students, help them see links and alignment of the curriculum to their lives, build on and from student identity and culture, and recognize the many ways instructional practices can shift. “These Kids Are Out of Control” is your opportunity to get started right away!

 
About the Authors
 
Introduction
 
Chapter 1. Understanding the Landscape of Classroom Management: A Look at Research, Theory, and Practice
Referral Practices, Congruence and Dissonance, and Systemic Barriers

 
Classroom Management Is About Being Culturally Responsive

 
Culturally Responsive Classroom Management

 
References

 
 
Chapter 2. Connecting Classroom Management and the Cradle-to-Prison Pipeline
The Cradle-to-Prison Pipeline in the United States

 
The Cradle-to-Prison Pipeline and Schools

 
Root Causes and Contributors to the CTPP

 
Connecting the Cradle-to-Prison Pipeline to Classroom Management

 
References

 
 
Chapter 3. Classroom Management Is About Effective Instruction
Critical Reflective Practices

 
High Student Engagement in Course Content

 
Positive Framing

 
Building a Classroom Community

 
Final Thoughts: Effective Instruction Improves Classroom Management

 
References

 
 
Chapter 4. Classroom Management Is About Creating a Caring Environment
Student-Centered

 
Belief, Expectations, and Rigor

 
Persistent Practices

 
Partnership With Families and Communities

 
Conclusion

 
References

 
 
Chapter 5. Classroom Management Is About Restorative Discipline
Restorative Discipline Is Rooted in Restorative Justice

 
Methods of Restorative Discipline

 
Implementing Restorative Discipline

 
Restorative Discipline Improves Classroom Management

 
References

 
 
Conclusions, Implications, and Recommendations
A Charge to Teacher Education

 
A Charge to Researchers

 
A Charge to Reformers

 
A Charge to Teachers and Other Educators

 
A Charge to Professional Development Facilitators

 
Final Insights

 
References

 
 
Index

Supplements

These Kids are Out of Control shines light on the importance of classroom management in urban schools while appropriately placing it in the full context of urban education. The authors expertly provide a firm research base upon which they offer evidence-based and practical strategies that can be incorporated by urban educators. They go into detail on how, why, and what these strategies look like to better prepare and support urban teachers in classroom management. As a teacher educator, I know I will definitely incorporate the strategies listed in this book to help my pre-service teachers understand how to better manage urban classrooms. Researchers and teacher educators alike will find this book useful for pushing forward the field of classroom management in urban schools while equipping teachers and administrators with the day-to-day skills needed to succeed."

 
Andrew Kwok, PhD, Assistant Professor, College of Education
California State University, San Bernardino

“If you are an educator who wants to resist and dismantle the cradle-to-prison pipeline, this is your manifesto. Deeply researched, accessibly written, and powerfully applied, this book demonstrates not just why we need to make justice the goal of our classroom management practices; it also shows us how we get it done. Read this and you’ll know what to do to make our schools and classrooms more hopeful, critical, responsive, and equitable.”

Eric Toshalis, Research Director
Student-Centered Learning Research Collaborative

"Today’s educators must meet the daily challenge of providing quality teaching for students from wide, diverse backgrounds, and personal histories.  While research on managing classrooms has provided some guidance, significant gaps in our understanding remain, such as the lack of in depth theoretical and foundational knowledge about issues of race, culture, and inequity as they impact schooling.  The authors have given us vital insights about these important factors.  I believe this book is one of the most significant contributions to research on classroom management in years.  It is a MUST read and belongs in every educator’s library."

Carolyn M. Evertson, PhD, Professor of Education, Emerita
Peabody College, Vanderbilt University

"These Kids are Out of Control prepares educators, like no other text in the field, to engage in justice-oriented classroom management utilizing restorative, culturally responsive approaches to discipline. The authors’ use of practical, yet, powerful, vignettes provide real world illustrations of multi-context classroom scenarios that shift our mindsets about effective classroom management practices; moving away from ‘what is,’ to ‘what could be!’ This book is a timely and relevant contribution to the field of education and a must- read for anyone who currently teaches, or aspires to teach, in a diverse school setting."

Bettie Ray Butler, PhD, Associate Professor of Urban Education and Director of the Student Discipline Joint Taskforce
University of North Carolina, Charlotte, Cato College of Education

“Children live in a more dynamic society than ever before, and their experiences are very complex. This book is a must read for educators in urban schools across the country because it addresses the social and emotional needs of students and provides practical – real solutions – to help build climates that positively  support students’ learning.  The book helps educators understand how to restore rather than punish students.”

Sito Narcisse, Chief of Schools
Metro Nashville Public Schools

“Important, timely, and necessary!  Harsh discipline practices and oppressive classroom conditions continue to harm countless students; something different is needed. Milner and his team provide a powerful work that exemplifies theory-to practice at its best. Schools can be transformed by this work. This essential book challenges control and punishment in classroom management and offers culturally caring and sustaining ways to create supportive learning classrooms for all students.”  

Dr. Tyrone Howard, Pritzker Family Endowed Chair
UCLA Graduate School of Education

This is an excellent resource. I decided to use this as a text for undergrad students and felt they needed more backgroud/structure. This is a great book.

Dr Alison M Polly
Education/Special Educ Dept, Mansfield University
January 14, 2020

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ISBN: 9781483374802
£27.99