School-based Discipline – What Not To Do To Racial Minorities
Two recent studies caught my eye and led me to do further research. In the first, Del Toro & Wang (2021), writing for American Psychologist, note that African American adolescents are grossly overrepresented in rates of school suspensions for minor disciplinary infractions; however, the consequences associated with this disciplinary practice are unknown. Their study investigated whether suspensions for minor infractions predict lower school grades longitudinally, and whether poor school climate perceptions mediate the longitudinal link between suspensions for minor infractions and school grades. This is a robust study (three years of school data, 2381 adolescents, 35% African American, 65% White). Consistent with expectations, they found that more African American adolescents were suspended for minor infractions than their White peers who committed similar infractions (26% vs 2%). African American adolescents suspended for minor infractions also had lower grades 1 and 2 years later. The longitudinal relation between suspensions for minor infractions and subsequent grades was partially mediated by African American adolescents’ negative school perceptions of their school climate.
The second study by McIntosh et al. (2021) is published in School Psychology and extends the first by intervening in schools known to have inequitable referrals for Black students. They assessed the effects of a whole-school equity intervention implemented within a school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) framework on racial inequities in school discipline in eight elementary schools with inequitable referrals for Black students. “The intervention involved assessing patterns of racial disparities in school discipline decisions and providing professional development on adapting school-wide behavior systems to improve cultural responsiveness through concrete strategies targeting the patterns. . . . Analyses showed that schools receiving the intervention had significant decreases in racial disparities in school discipline and rates of office discipline referrals (ODRs) for Black students, while control schools had minimal change.”
I followed up by finding more resources. Clayton et al. (2020) published in International Journal of Educational Policy & Leadership offer “Opportunities for Access: Exploring how school district leaders make meaning of equity in practice through positive behavioral interventions and supports.” This document is fully available online. They identify four themes – the benefits of PBIS, the power of relationships, the importance of communication and leadership and PBIS challenges. They define PBIS as a, “three-tiered, proactive, school-wide behavior management philosophy designed to address the needs of students who struggle academically and behaviorally in a traditional classroom setting.” Additional quotes from their case studies of five schools:
While the two elementary schools experienced PBIS more positively across roles, middle- and high-school leaders and staff also described the overarching benefits of PBIS;
Hallmarks of the successful implementation of PBIS include looking for and commenting specifically on positive behaviors and reframing;
The level of student commitment to the practices and structures of PBIS was noted across sites;
Participants indicated one norm of the culture across schools was an expectation to support students in their social, emotional, and academic needs;
Recognizing this common school culture, language, and approach was high-lighted at all five schools;
Equity is opportunity, in that we’re providing all of our students with opportunities to be successful;
Equity in education is not an isolated curriculum or training, but rather a lens used by educators to guide decisions, practices, and beliefs.