Sound Discipline
Our purpose
Sound Discipline is working for a world where children know they belong and can learn and thrive.
Our focus
We partner with educators, organizations, and families to transform schools into equitable learning communities.
Our approach
We bring together science-based, trauma-informed, restorative, and Positive Discipline practices to facilitate change in the ways adults see and respond to students.
Courageous Educators: We facilitate school leaders and educators to build classroom communities and model an inclusive culture school-wide that promotes student agency and well-being.
Equitable School Systems: We coach administrators and educators to use data to identify and implement solutions that address damaging systemic patterns of inequity that target Black and brown students.
Connected Families: We train and coach families and caregivers in a child’s life to apply solution-oriented practices that instill critical social emotional life skills.
Our Vision
We see a day when
- People feel cared for, respected and empowered in their schools, families and communities
- Families feel that it is normal to ask for help and have a broad network of local resources (or family educators) that cross race, class and culture where they can turn for support and parenting tools.
- Classrooms are places where young people are learning the skills needed in a global society
- Schools are places where mistakes are opportunities for learning and the race bias around discipline is undone
- Communities support schools and families in using solution focused methods that enhance equity and honor each person’s dignity.
We Believe
- All people, young and adult—regardless of race, class and culture—are worthy of dignity and respect
- Misbehaving children are discouraged children
- Current punitive practices and systems work to the detriment of all young people and perpetuate a legacy of oppression and inequity
- Mutually respectful relationships and solution focused problem solving empower children, families, schools, and communities to thrive and foster academic excellence, citizenship, equity, and democracy
Effective Discipline:
- Helps children feel a sense of connection. (Belonging and significance.)
- Is mutually respectful and encouraging. (Kind and firm at the same time.)
- Considers what the child is thinking, feeling, learning, and deciding about himself and his world – and what to do in the future to survive or to thrive.
- Teaches important social and life skills.
- Invites children to discover how capable they are.
Our trainers have a over a decade of regional experience including:
- Five years with Seattle Public Schools using Solution Focused Discipline Whole School Model to eliminate the race gap in disciplinary action in selected schools;
- Four lead trainers for the national Positive Discipline Association;
- Six nationally Certified Positive Discipline Trainers;
- Hundreds of teachers who’ve taken our Positive Discipline in the Classroom workshops;
- Hundreds of parents who’ve taken our Positive Discipline parenting classes in English or Spanish;
- Scores of parent trainers who’ve taken our Teaching Parenting the Positive Discipline Way workshops in English or Spanish;
- Three active mentoring groups for facilitators and parenting educators (in Spanish and English); and
- Five years of comprehensive data on the Seattle schools in our program and ongoing self evaluation and data collection to measure and ensure ongoing effectiveness.
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
http://www.sounddiscipline.org/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sound-Discipline