Draft:Conscious discipline

Conscious discipline is a version of the positive discipline model used by schools and parents as a tool to help children manage their behavior. It utilizes social-emotional learning to teach adults self-regulation and self-control skills first so that they are able to pass those skills on to children. Conscious discipline often incorporates techniques like morning rituals and greetings to help build connections with students so they feel comfortable in the classroom.

History

The conscious discipline movement was founded by Dr. Becky Bailey along with Katie O'Neil in 1996. After experiencing a car accident in high school that resulted in brain injury, Bailey became interested in learning about how the brain works and finding a "better way" of managing children's behaviors. Bailey has authored 14 books that help model the conscious discipline approach for both children and adults.

In 2015, it was recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices as a scientifically-based method of behavioral health management.

In 2018, conscious discipline was named as one of the 25 leading social-emotional learning programs by the National Association of Elementary School Principal's Principal magazine.

Methodology

The conscious discipline program focuses four key components: Brain State Model, Seven Powers for Conscious Adults, the School Family, and Seven Skills of Discipline.

Brain State Model

This component focuses on safety, connection, and problem solving among children.

• Survival State: This represents the primal brain and asks the question "Am I safe?"
• Emotional State: This state focuses on connection and asks the question "Am I loved?"
• Executive State: This is the problem-solving state that asks the question "What can I learn from this?"

Seven Powers for Conscious Adults

This component provides adults with a blueprint for educators and other adults to maintain composure during conflict and respond to challenging situations. The seven principles are:

1. Power of Perception: Teach adults and children to take responsibility for their own anger
2. Power of Unity: Offer compassion to others and ourselves
3. Power of Attention: Focus on creating images of expected behavior
4. Power of Free Will: Learn how to guide and connect rather than coerce
5. Power of Acceptance: Respond to what the world offers rather than make the world go our way
6. Power of Love: See the best in others so we can respond consciously
7. Power of Intention: Teach a new skill instead of punishing others for not knowing a skill we think they should possess

The School Family

The basis of the School Family model is that all members of the school community should operate as a healthy family. The three essential components of this model are willingness to learn, impulse control, and attention.

Seven Skills of Discipline

This model focuses on skills that are needed to transform behavioral issues into teachable moments for children. The seven skills are composure, encouragement, assertiveness, choices, empathy, positive intent, and consequences.

Implementation

Conscious discipline is currently taught in 73 countries in 22 languages. Many districts and schools in the United States utilize the conscious discipline curriculum to improve student behavior, including:

• Langley Elementary and Van Ness Elementary in Washington, D.C.
• The Primary School in East Palo Alto, CA
• The School of Arts and Sciences Foundation in Tallahassee, FL
• Educare New Orleans in New Orleans, LA
• The Louisiana Special Education Center in Alexandria, LA
• Highland Elementary in Apple Valley, MN
• Noble Elementary School in Cleveland Heights, OH
• Park Community Charter School in Kaukauna, WI
• Salida Early Childhood Center in Salida, CO
• Greensboro Elementary School in Greensboro, AL
• Greene County Tech Preschool in Paragould, AR
• Cullman County, AL
• St. Mary's County, MD
• Springdale School District, AR
• The Autism Project of Rhode Island

In 2023, Preschool Promise, a nonprofit preschool program based in Dayton, OH, received $4 million from the U.S. Department of Education in order to research the effectiveness of the conscious discipline method in the Dayton area.