Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders
Document Type
Learning Object
Date of this Version
2-2014
Citation
Strategy brief
Building and Sustaining Student Engagement series (February 2014)
Barkley Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States
Abstract
Conclusion
Detention is one of the primary discipline strategies used by teachers and administrators across the country in elementary, middle, and high schools. Despite its popularity, very little research has been conducted on its effectiveness. What little research there is suggests that detention, particularly lunch detention, can be effective for some students; especially those who are not likely to repeatedly break school rules. However, detention is unlikely to be effective for students who repeatedly receive office referrals. It is recommended that before issuing a detention, teachers and administrators review records for the student in question. If the student has received detentions in the past but has not shown a change in behavior, then schools should strongly consider alternative consequences.