The purpose of this paper is to review the literature regarding some of the past practices of discipline and to explore the changes in discipline that have been made in our schools, the alternatives that have resulted, and a specific approach--in-school suspension--that has taken root in contemporary education as a result of this change. A review of the literature reveals that discipline problems in school are omnipresent. Formerly prevalent disciplinary attitudes were based on the concept of retribution, as manifested in severe punitive actions that were traditionally justified on moral grounds. More recently, compromising attitudes have taken hold that temper discipline with humane sensitivity and that focus on rehabilitation rather than retribution. In-school suspension, while not the panacea originally promised, is nevertheless emerging as one of the more reasonably effective techniques in use today for addressing discipline problems. (Author/TE)