Many students across the Nation struggle with emotional and behavioral problems that may lead them to act out in ways that school administrators and teachers might not understand or be prepared to respond to effectively. In today's era of highstakes testing, zero-tolerance discipline measures, and shrinking school and district budgets, there is an incentive to remove problem students from the classroom rather than devote the time and resources necessary to address the underlying causes of the behavior. These punitive disciplinary practices negatively affect the academic performance and achievement of students with behavioral problems by temporarily removing them from needed classroom instruction time. This brief provides an overview of the link between student behavior and traditional discipline responses by schools, and how both affect academic achievement. In light of these connections, the brief asserts that supportive behavior management practices are critical to helping youth achieve academic success while in school and preventing the unnecessary justice system involvement that results from punitive and exclusionary school discipline practices. The brief also makes the case that supportive behavior management can also make a difference for youth already in the justice system; it highlights the success of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), which many juvenile justice settings have adapted and adopted based on its success in traditional community schools.