This week—on November 22, 2016—U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. asked states to reconsider corporal punishment in public schools, noting that this form of discipline "is harmful, ineffective, and often disproportionately applied to students of color and students with disabilities."
A recent policy report by associate professor of human development and family sciences Elizabeth Gershoff showed that corporal punishment is not practiced with an even hand in the nearly half of the states where it remains legal. Gershoff and colleague Sarah Font analyzed 160,000 cases of corporal punishment from the 2013-2014 school year and found that children who are African American, have disabilities, or are male are more likely to be hit.
Gershoff's publications and research highlight the ineffectiveness of both corporal punishment and spanking, as Secretary King cited in his letter.
To read recent news about Gershoff and Secretary King's letter, please click below:
UT research cited in education secretary's call to end spanking | Austin American-Statesman
US Education Secretary to schools: Stop hitting, paddling students | USA Today
On Corporal Punishment: US Education Secretary says stop hitting students as discipline | University Herald
Gershoff and Font Op-ed: School corporal punishment should be banned | Houston Chronicle
