The disciplinary system in Philadelphia schools is not as effective as it should be and is in need of further improvement (Philadelphia Inquirer, “Report: District Losing Control,” March 2, 2007), according to an independent audit performed by Ellen Green-Ceisler, a former Philadelphia police department auditor who was hired by Philadelphia school district chief executive Paul Vallas to evaluate the school district’s discipline system. The report (well worth reading in full in its own right) identifies the following qualities of an effective school disciplinary system:

1. [S]tandards and expectations regarding acceptable and unacceptable codes of conduct [are] clearly articulated and communicated [...]
2. [I]nvestigations into [...] and reviews of allegations of misconduct [are] conducted in an unbiased, thorough, timely and professional manner [...]
3. [T]he penalties and consequences for disciplinary infractions [are] unambiguous, appropriate and rational to the particular situation [...]
4. [T]he disciplinary process occur[s] in a timely manner[....] [U]nnecessary and unreasonable delays in responding to and resolving disciplinary matters [are] identified and appropriately addressed [...]
5. [T]he personnel responsible for [...] enforcing the disciplinary system [are] appropriately trained, skilled, and committed to ensuring full compliance with disciplinary policies and procedures [...]
6. [There is] consistency in the enforcement of disciplinary policies and procedures and the imposition of penalties [...]
7. [T]he disciplinary system [is] transparent [...] [A]dequate records and data [are] maintained that clearly identify the nature of the disciplinary occurrence and the District’s responses [....] [and which are] easily accessible [...]
8. [There is] accountability throughout the disciplinary system [...] [S]pecifically, [there is] a system which effectively identifies and responds to situations where rules, policies and procedures are not followed or system breakdowns are occurring [...]

If an independent audit of our schoool district’s disciplinary system were performed today, how would it measure up?