Our panel is only one step in that process, but it can become a significant step because of the audience we can reach over the Web with this program. He said the goal for some 200 educators from across the country attending the conference is to meet and exchange constructive ideas for youth violence prevention. An opponent of such policies, IU Professor Russell Skiba points out that there is little research support for such methods in combating school violence. Instead, he favors preventive strategies to quell school violence. Skiba said the quick-fix approach represented by zero tolerance fails to instruct students properly in appropriate alternatives to violence and disruption.
Punishment decreases behavior.
The best analogy is building a house. You need a hammer to build a house, but you can't build a house with just a hammer. You can't fix a light fixture with just a hammer. Skiba, IU professor of counseling and educational psychology, is director of the IU Institute for Child Study. He also directs a clinic of the school psychology program serving children with learning and behavioral problems, as well as their families.