Regarding the Aug. 17 editorial "Spare the rod at school": The real issue is whether corporal punishment is effective in dealing with student misbehavior. The evidence is not encouraging.
School districts in the United States that have adopted restorative justice practices, which focus more on repairing the harm caused by misbehavior than on punishment, report better results.
For example, the San Francisco Unified School District saw suspensions decline from 2,270 to 1,807 since adopting the practice.
The key to success is proper training of teachers and administrators, coupled with support from school boards. The payoff for all stakeholders far exceeds the cost of the program.
Reality Check blog for Education Week
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