Moving Beyond Punishment to Cultivate Lasting Behavior Change

Punitive consequences are overly used in schools as the sole or first approach for responding to challenging behaviors. Punishment can have several potentially negative consequences on students and their relationships with educators and schooling. Herein, we highlight important guidelines for and alternatives to using punishment, including always pairing punishment with effective teaching, using logical and natural consequences, delivering positive feedback more frequently than negative feedback, and providing contextual supports. Implications for classroom practice are discussed.