Child welfare advocates are very concerned about the use of physical punishment as a form of discipline in schools because they believe it can escalate to the point of becoming child abuse. Even when the punishment is not so severe as to leave bodily injury, it can be psychologically damaging and teach negative lessons such as using violence as a way to solve problems. The goals of the conference were to increase awareness about the use of corporal punishment, identify each State's position on abolishing corporal punishment, and to provide information on effective classroom management and training. Thirty-one States still allow corporal punishment, but strong, active movements exist in at least twenty of these. The ultimate goal is not just to see schools stop hitting children, but to have children raised in total environments where they are free from harm. An alternative to corporal punishment is trying to understand why a child is misbehaving and discovering an optimal means of remedying the behavior problem. Appendix.