Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

In these 19 states, teachers can still spank kids

If John Tate, a North Carolina State Board of Education member, has his way, North Carolina will no longer allow teachers to spank their students, TakePart.com reports. Tate has asked the State Board to recommend that the North Carolina General Assembly and local school boards prohibit corporal punishment in every school in the state.

“The good news is that the vast majority of North Carolina’s districts ban the use of corporal punishment,” Tate said in an interview. “The less good news is that a handful still allow it. The preponderance of cases is housed in a smaller number still. It is time for North Carolina to stop the practice for all children.”

Earlier this month, a report to the North Carolina State Board of Education showed the number of corporal punishment cases fell from 891 during the 2010-2011 school year to 404 statewide during the 2011-2012 academic year……Read More

School spankings still allowed in 19 states

While punishing students by spanking them with paddles at school seems like a scene from Little House on the Prairie , it’s still a reality for students in 19 states across the U.S., an NPR report reveals. Whether it’s a wooden paddle or fiberglass board, students in states like Florida endure the punishments on a daily basis, according to the Center for Effective Discipline.

“I been getting them since about first grade,” Lucas Mixon, a junior at Holmes County High School in Bonifay, Fla, told NPR. “It’s just regular. They tell you to put your hands up on the desk and how many swats you’re going to get.”

Cole Long, a senior at the school told NPR that one school official is particularly aggressive.…Read More