One elementary I attended in the mid-1950s used bribery with candy to maintain discipline.
Students who got few ‘demerits’ could eat candy/chew gum on Friday afternoon. Those who got too many ‘demerits’ could only sit and watch.
Watched....coldly considering how you could murder the little suck-ups./s
From elementary to HS, those who acted out got swats from the principal or male teachers. And again when they got home. We didn’t have mass school shootings back then.
When I was teaching, those kids the article addresses were welcome to come to my room during lunch or my break. Sometimes the more popular kids did as well. Don’t know if that helped but it didn’t hurt the two groups.
Thing is, we don’t hear about the vast majority of those “lonely” kids who turn out just fine.
Sounds a good plan! We had a “dumb row” in 2nd grade. Any child who failed a test was forced to sit in it. How to make a future killer, right?!