This study investigated the extent of discipline problems in small, urban, Western Piedmont North Carolina high schools as perceived by teachers and parents of high school students. It examined and compared teacher and parent responses to the severity of serious acts of student misbehavior and selected contributors to student misbehavior. It compared preferences of inschool suspension, out-of-school suspension, and exclusion from school in dealing with students involved in fighting, assault, intimidation, vandalism, possession of weapons, and use/possession and sale of illegal drugs. Also, the study examined involvement of law enforcement agencies in addressing serious discipline matters. Finally, the study compared teacher and parent suggestions for improving current systems of managing and reforming unruly high school youths. Parents and teachers agreed that serious acts of misbehavior are significant problems for schools. There was also agreement on external and internal contributors to school discipline problems
