Growing in parallel to the broken-windows policing movement were “no excuses” schools, notably within the charter sector. A common turn of phrase in these schools was “sweat the small stuff.” In How the Other Half Learns, Robert Pondiscio details an example of this approach in the Success Academy network of charter schools in New York City. Staff members have lists of small tasks like replacing lightbulbs and wiping up scuff marks. They send students home for mismatched socks. Class time is highly structured, routinized, and disciplined. Student rebellion manifests in a loosened tie, not cursing at a teacher.
The particulars of the no-excuses strategy differ by school, but the overall results have shown promise. According to a 2015 report from Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes, charter schools in urban areas provided “significantly higher levels of annual growth in both math and reading compared to their [traditional public school] peers.” As Pondiscio observed of the study, “the standouts among this group were KIPP, Achievement First, Uncommon Schools, YES Prep, and other ‘no excuses’ pioneers.”
Intentionally or not, the theory of education that undergirded these schools’ approach to discipline borrowed from the philosophy behind broken-windows policing: Eliminating small instances of disorder — replacing every “broken window” — helps fend off more disruptive disorder. And, as with every sort of approach that “defines deviancy down,” the alternative is a slow slide toward chaos: A child leaves litter in the hallway. It’s not picked up. Soon a student throws something down the corridor, but no teacher bothers to address it. Students begin to wander hallways during class. Their noise grows louder. A student mocks a teacher. Before long, students are berating teachers — and worse.