Are time-outs an appropriate disciplinary measure?

Do American schools need a time-out from time-outs? This commonly used disciplinary measure recently came under scrutiny after a teacher in Iowa left an autistic eight-year-old girl in a time-out room for three hours, prompting her parents to bring a lawsuit against the school district. Time-outs -- in which teachers place a disruptive student in a classroom corner or a designated room -- are, ideally, a means to let students compose themselves and reflect on their actions. But critics argue that too often, educators use time-outs as a punitive measure, placing students in locations and for durations that border on being abusive. Should schools continue to use time-outs when students misbehave? Tell us what you think!