What is the relationship between discipline policies and disproportionate practices that impact marginalized students?
We’ve all heard the old phrase, “spare the rod and spoil the child,” – but what does this age-old adage mean for our modern education system? Discipline policies play an essential role in setting expectations for student behavior – and yet, it’s a complex issue with no one correct answer to how to evolve traditional disciplinary policies/practices best.
No matter where you look, there are different schools of thought on maximizing safety while upholding equity, respect, and dignity in our classrooms, hallways, and athletic playing fields.
From Gholdy Muhammad’s impassioned reflections on her experiences as an educator to Ibram Kendi’s critical analyses of discrimination in school discipline policies to Barack Obama’s recommendations for reforming systems rooted in inequality – these conversations are stimulating debate amongst educators around the world. In this blog post, we will explore the nuanced relationship between discipline policy and student engagement, considering both empirical evidence and diverse perspectives from leaders across various sectors.
However, despite these advances in thought about how school systems ought to operate regarding disciplinary measures–punitive punishments remain a part of life at many schools around the globe. That is why it’s more important than ever for educators, teachers, and leaders to look closely at the relationship between teacher-student dynamics and school discipline policies. We need to understand what makes up this unique relationship to create an environment where students feel safe and respected as they learn.
In this blog post series, we’ll explore what these ideas mean regarding our schools’ discipline policies with an intellectual lens. What do ‘no zero tolerance’ models look like in practice today? How could eliminating out-of-school suspensions produce positive educational outcomes for students of color? Can “restorative justice” keep students safe while avoiding criminalizing student behavior?
Story Time
My journey through K-12 education had many hills and valleys. My education became layered with lessons learned beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic. In elementary school, my academic pursuits involved the arts, and I became a saxophone player and grew closer to my classes that involved art, music, and theatre. As my interests shifted deeper to performing and practical skills, my academic classes became periods of my day where I did what was asked and dreamed about what I could create in my industrial arts, mixed media course, or music ensembles. Every so often, I would look up my canvas or mundane textbook and assess how my academic life was slowly being pulled away by a force I could not accurately identify.
In grade school, I transferred to a school that did not have examples or a resemblance of inclusion for a different culture. On this particular day, my classmate came up to me, and as I looked over the poster projects on the table, he pushed me into insinuating behaviors I did not do. The outcome of this incident resulted in being intertwined in a scuffle and assigned several days of early morning detention. To my dismay, I received punishment for this altercation and sincerely felt provoked. The morning of my consequences, every student in the room was Black.
For the next three years, I was a middle school student, and my band teacher was a veteran music teacher; visually, he resembled Clint Eastwood with long silver hair. My band teacher was very predictable. He would preach about John Phillip Souza and frequently quoted Elvis. He also had the quickest reflexes in the arms, hands, and fingers.
Without warning, he would snap his fingers and flex his wrist, indicating, “you are out of there.” This gesture meant that you were to stand outside the classroom in a dark narrow hallway because of what you did or did not do.
This location became a funnel for Black male students throughout my middle school career. After this happened to you once, be prepared to be sent to the abyss consistently, especially if you are a Black male student. You are reading this and thinking, “I know the teacher would chat with the student and reintroduce them to the classroom culture in a restorative manner.” Possibly a mid-1990s dream. In reality, the teacher would transform into an alternate persona and go… “scorched earth (Will Smith)” on the ousted students.
The Numbers
In a recent article written in the Columbia Daily Tribune, Roger McKinney reports about the disproportionate number of African American students who were suspended from school compared to their peers in Columbia Public Schools.
“There were 606 Black students receiving out-of-school suspensions, or 52% of the total, while white students, making up 56% of the student population, were 28% of out-of-school suspensions, at 334.
Put another way, Black students were 2 1/2 times as likely to be suspended as their representation in the student population. A Black student is almost twice as likely as a white student to receive an out-of-school suspension. It has remained at that ratio for the past several years with no improvement.”Columbia Public Schools
Statistically, the article represents a widening gap between groups of students, how their academics and social life intersect with school policies, and how those policies “substantially increase the likelihood that a student would be involved in the juvenile justice system…” writes McKinney.
The discipline gap between black and white students has been an ongoing issue for decades, but it is still relevant today. Recognizing the discipline gap between black and white students is the first step toward understanding its causes and then taking steps to close it. This means examining discipline policies and procedures, investing in quality instruction that encourages positive behavior while addressing discipline issues, and engaging students in meaningful dialogue about discipline. We must consider discipline from the student’s perspective and work together to create a safe, equitable learning environment for all. It may be difficult for some educators to confront their biases or admit that they are part of a system perpetuating discipline disparities. With better discipline policies and practices, we can create an environment where all students feel respected, supported, and valued.
From the article, Columbia Public Schools are putting structures in place to address these disparities in-house. One may wonder how the State of Missouri assesses the analysis of race and discipline in schools. The American Civil Liberties Union published an article in 2017 examining the impact of punishment on race and ability.
“Black students and students with disabilities are punished more severely and more frequently than their peers in schools across Missouri.”ACLU
Disproportionality
A 2017 article published by the American Civil Liberties Union dissected the “school-to-prison pipeline” for the State of Missouri and outlined stark data:
- Black students are 4.5 times more likely to be suspended than White students.
- Black students with disabilities were more than three times more likely to be suspended than White students with disabilities.
- Black boys are almost four times more likely to receive an out-of-school suspension than White boys.
- Black girls are six times more likely to receive an out-of-school suspension than White girls.
When looking across the State of Missouri, the ALCU uses a critical lens for how students are guided like a conveyor belt into a vacuum for incarceration. Paying attention to discipline disparities in our schools and communities is vital. Across the country, marginalized populations of students will receive longer suspensions, are excluded from their classes for extended durations, and are overidentified/under-identified for special education services.
“Suspended students are less likely to graduate on time and more likely to be suspended again, repeat a grade, drop out of school, and become involved in the juvenile justice and criminal justice systems.”ACLU
How Does This Happen?
In this section, I will unravel the breadcrumbs that led to or contributed to these stark discrepancies with the intersection between race and discipline. Many educational systems use programs and other structures to guide how students’ behaviors interact with their teachers, peers, and school community. To “guide” students means to create predictability and prevent classroom behaviors. To do this, educators will establish strict procedures and rules and cement an authoritarian system that sets a progression of consequences. Instead of understanding the cause or the precipitating factors of the behavior (communication), school systems will mount heavier and more punitive products.
Recognizing the cultural differences in students, being aware of biases they may have, and using evidence-based approaches that focus on understanding behavior rather than punishing it. It’s also essential to create systems that acknowledge intersectionality; for example, how do race, class, and gender impact the decision-making of who receives consequences and who does not receive a consequence?
But why are these parameters put in place? Within the schools, students miss the opportunity to engage appropriately and grow their gifts. Instead, a lack of structure and a positive atmosphere contribute to antisocial behaviors. Here we ask, what leads to these behaviors?
- Unclear rules
- Unclear expectations
- Unclear daily schedule
- Unclear classroom management
- Unclear feedback
Imagine if some of these characteristics are present in a student’s learning environment. What behavior do we expect from a student when their educational existence is unclear?
Three things could happen as a result:
- The student receives a referral for discipline
- The learning environment deteriorates
- A greasing of a pipeline to adverse outcomes
How can we turn this around?
The situation we find ourselves in has been a long time coming, and it is challenging to change. To create meaningful and lasting Change, we must engage in training, professional development, and education, as well as build empathy and address our biases. Along with that, consistent acts of trust with faith can help to encourage more cooperative behavior and propel us further along the path of progress. As Barack Obama once said, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the Change that we seek.” Achieving our goals is possible, but first, it requires us to challenge ourselves to think differently, act responsibly, and cheer each other on wherever possible – Tony Robbins puts it nicely: “Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them.”
Helpful Strategies
- Create systems to incorporate student voices in the day-to-day operations of the classroom and school.
- Provide students with adequate resources to support behavior.
- Identify and implement culturally responsive evidence-based practices.
- Engage all stakeholders
- Understanding due process right and listening to understand, instead of making students acquiesce to adult culture.
When students’ experiences, culture, and values differ from their teacher or school environment, cognitive dissonance is the nutrient to unconscious bias and overt prejudice. To go a step further, if students are reduced to root demands without access to authentic input and outputs or appropriate scaffolds to the ladder, their futures will be regulated to filling up the front office waiting room.
Not addressing the root cause of student need, gaps will appear across schools and other educational spaces. Trends have shown that overseers of educational settings are more apt to break students’ will, make examples of adolescents, and gain a pound of flesh to maintain order. I ask, “what about humanity?” I had a conversation with a Special Educator recently, and he spoke about how we make statements to oversimplify the complex reality in schools and adult behavior. Ask yourself this question:
“Am I educating students as if they are my biological child?”
After you answered that question, your response was yes. Now, ask yourself this question:
“If my biological child were present in the classroom, how would they feel about my interaction and level of care for my students?”
In Closing
School discipline policies are often rooted in a history of racism and a lack of understanding of these policies’ effects on students. If we want to see Change, we need to start by disrupting inequitable policies and perpetuating a marginalized system. You can help make a difference by supporting organizations working to end the school-to-prison pipeline and advocating for more equitable policies in your community. What will you do to help make a difference?
Making a difference isn’t easy, but when you advocate for it.
Dr. Diggs