Failure to Focus on the Discipline of Black Girls: Encouraging School Leaders to Initiate Conversations

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 80-98
Author(s):  
Taji L. Gibson ◽  
Janet R. Decker
Keyword(s):  
Black Students ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Black Girls ◽  
Legal Requirements ◽  
Discipline Policy ◽  
Implicit Biases ◽  
Discipline Policies ◽  
Courageous Conversations

Although increasing attention has been given to the disproportionate discipline of Black students in general, the specific needs of Black girls have often been overlooked. This article encourages school leaders to analyze how discipline policies are often problematic for Black girls. The article provides a case narrative to illustrate the issue and describes current discipline policy trends. The article recommends school leaders attend not only to implicit biases, but also to their legal requirements to protect Black girls from uneven, culturally biased practices. The article concludes with “Teaching Notes” instructing leaders how to hold courageous conversations to support Black girls.

scholarly journals Leaderships Role In Effective Implementation Of School Discipline Policies

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 833
Author(s):  
C. Van Wyk ◽  
A. M. Pelser
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Discipline Policy ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Discipline Policies ◽  
Effective Discipline ◽  
Lack Of Commitment

Discipline is an important aspect of the life of any school. Learning and teaching can only take place effectively in a disciplined environment. In South Africa, discipline policies might not have been effectively implemented due to inadequate sources, lack of commitment and training of school leaders. A qualitative research design was utilized for the investigation on which this article is based. The research consisted of two phases. First, group interviews were conducted with 27 B Ed Honours students; thereafter, individual interviews were conducted with a total of six students selected by purposive sampling. The results seem to suggest that the broader school community should be taken on board to ensure effective discipline policy implementation. The correct legal sources should furthermore be employed in the process of developing school policies. School leaders need thorough training for the development and implementation of discipline policies. Several measures are suggested for the effective introduction of disciplinary policies, among others, that school leadership should play a (more) active role; specifically the principals of schools should be willing to share their knowledge on the implementation of school disciplinary policies with other members of the school leadership.

Centering “Grace”: Challenging Anti-Blackness in Schooling Through Motherwork

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 142-157
Author(s):  
Terri N. Watson ◽  
Gwendolyn S. Baxley
Keyword(s):  
Black Women ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Black Children ◽  
The United States ◽  
Black Girls ◽  
Racial Biases ◽  
Black Girlhood ◽  
Patricia Hill Collins ◽  
Educational Advocacy

Anti-Blackness is global and present in every facet of society, including education. In this article, we examine the challenges Black girls encounter in schools throughout the United States. Guided by select research centered on Black women in their roles as mothers, activists and school leaders, we assert that sociologist Patricia Hill Collins’ concept of Motherwork should be an essential component in reframing the praxis of school leadership and in helping school leaders to rethink policies, practices, and ideologies that are anti-Black and antithetical to Blackness and Black girlhood. While most research aimed to improve the schooling experiences of Black children focuses on teacher and school leader (mis)perceptions and systemic racial biases, few studies build on the care and efficacy personified by Black women school leaders. We argue that the educational advocacy of Black women on behalf of Black children is vital to culturally responsive school leadership that combats anti-Blackness and honors Black girlhood. We conclude with implications for school leaders and those concerned with the educational experiences of Black children, namely Black girls.

Do School Discipline Policies Treat Students Fairly? Evidence From Arkansas

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 707-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlin P. Anderson ◽  
Gary W. Ritter
Keyword(s):  
Black Students ◽  
White Students ◽  
School Discipline ◽  
Behavioral History ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Discipline Policies ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Disciplinary Consequences ◽  
School Discipline Policies

It is well documented that Black students are more likely to receive expulsions and suspensions than their White peers. These disparities are troubling, but researchers and policy makers need more information to fully understand the issue. We use 3 years (2010-2011 through 2012-2013) of state-wide student- and discipline incident-level data to assess whether non-White students are receiving harsher disciplinary consequences than their White peers for similar infractions and with similar behavioral history. We find that Black students received more severe (longer) punishments than their White peers for the same types of infractions, but that these disproportionalities are primarily across rather than within schools.

Black Students in Handcuffs: Addressing Racial Disproportionality in School Discipline for Students with Dis/abilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (13) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Dorothy E. Hines ◽  
Robb King ◽  
Donna Y. Ford
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
Black Students ◽  
Black Males ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Black Girls ◽  
Black Boys ◽  
School Suspension ◽  
Black Females ◽  
School Suspensions ◽  
Out Of School

Although there are federal protections for students with dis/abilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 1975, Black students with and without dis/abilities continue to be suspended and expelled at rates that exceed their peers. Still, there is limited research on how Black girls and Black boys are disciplined across suspension types, and based on their identification for special education services. The purpose of this article is to examine the overrepresentation of Black girls and Black boys with and without dis/abilities and to determine, using a quantifiable percentage, how the overrepresentation of Black students for in-school and out-of-school suspension can be eradicated. We use data from the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection 2011–2012 to examine equity (justice and fairness) in disciplinary referrals using state-by-state and regional data. Using an equity formula, we analyzed national data to determine the magnitude of Black females’ and Black males’ overrepresentation in in-school and out-of-school suspensions for students with and without dis/abilities. This study indicates that Black females with dis/abilities had the highest rate of overrepresentation in the Midwest in in-school and out-of-school suspension. In comparison, Black males experienced a greater representation in in-school suspension. Regardless of geographic area Black girls and Black boys are continuously being overrepresented in disciplinary punishments. To end the over-representation of Black girls and Black boys in in-school and out-of-school suspensions, schools and policy makers must collaborate with communities of color, eliminate teacher implicit and explicit racial biases, and discontinue racially punitive school policies.

scholarly journals “I’m a Teacher, I’m Gonna Always Protect You”: Understanding Black Educators’ Protection of Black Children

2020 ◽  
pp. 000283122092111
Author(s):  
Maxine McKinney de Royston ◽  
Tia C. Madkins ◽  
Jarvis R. Givens ◽  
Na’ilah Suad Nasir
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Black Students ◽  
White Supremacy ◽  
Black Children ◽  
The United States ◽  
Black Educators ◽  
Alternative Discipline ◽  
Political Clarity ◽  
Discipline Policies

Many Black educators in the United States demonstrate a political clarity about white supremacy and the racialized harm it cultivates in and out of schools. We highlight the perspectives of some of these educators and ask, (1) How do they articulate the need to protect Black children? and (2) What mechanisms of protection do they enact in their classrooms and schools? Through further elaborating the politicized caring framework, our analyses show how Black educators disrupt the racialized harm produced within schools to instead (re)position Black students as children worthy of protection via caring relationships, alternative discipline policies, and other interpersonal and institutional mechanisms. This study has implications for teaching, teacher education, and how the “work” of teachers is conceptualized and researched.

Like Moths to a Flame: Unsecured Networks, Tech-Savvy Students, and District Policy

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-59
Author(s):  
Jonathan D. Becker ◽  
Douglas A. Levin
Keyword(s):  
Information Security ◽  
Data Privacy ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Duty Of Care ◽  
Sensitive Information ◽  
District Leaders ◽  
District Policy ◽  
Discipline Policies ◽  
Technology Policies ◽  
Gain Access

School systems collect and maintain increasingly significant amounts of data and information on students, faculty, and staff and have a duty of care to ensure that sensitive information remains secure. Therefore, sitting and/or aspiring school leaders need to develop at least a basic understanding of data privacy and information security considerations. In this case, students discover a way to log in to internal district information systems and gain access to sensitive school and district data and information. School and district leaders are faced with the challenge of how to respond to such an information security breach and how to discipline the students. This case should cause sitting and/or aspiring school leaders to think deeply about and examine technology policies, information security protocols, as well as related school discipline policies.

Black supplementary school leaders: Community leadership strategies for successful schools

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 132-140
Author(s):  
Uvanney Maylor
Keyword(s):  
Black Students ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Successful Schools ◽  
Leadership Strategies ◽  
Black Communities ◽  
Cultural Wealth ◽  
Supplementary School ◽  
Supplementary Schools

Long established in the United Kingdom, Black supplementary schools are valued by Black parents for their ability to nurture the academic potential of Black students and achieve positive educational outcomes where mainstream schools sometimes fail. Through exploratory qualitative interviews conducted with a small group of African-Caribbean supplementary school leaders, this article seeks to understand Black supplementary school leaders’ perceptions of educational leadership and supplementary school success. Utilising Yosso’s perspective on ‘community cultural wealth’, in particular the ways in which Black communities provide and are rich in cultural/educational resources, the article examines the extent to which the leadership perceptions of Black supplementary school leaders are rooted in notions of community and serving, along with the leadership strategies they employ in creating successful schools. Such insights are especially important at a time when mainstream education continues to deliver poor educational outcomes for Black students.

scholarly journals School Deferred: When Bias Affects School Leaders

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 492-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoshana N. Jarvis ◽  
Jason A. Okonofua
Keyword(s):  
Black Students ◽  
White Students ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Exclusionary Discipline ◽  
Disciplinary Actions ◽  
School To Prison Pipeline ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Negative Impacts

In the classroom, Black students are disciplined more frequently and more severely for the same misbehaviors as White students. Though teachers have influence over disciplinary actions, the final decisions for exclusionary discipline (i.e., suspensions and expulsions) are principals’ responsibility. We test how principals make disciplinary decisions in a preregistered experiment. Principals endorsed more severe discipline for Black students compared with White students across two time points. Further, this discipline severity was explained through Black students being more likely to be labeled a troublemaker than White students. Future efforts should focus on principals in order to mitigate the negative impacts of the school-to-prison pipeline.

scholarly journals School deferred: When bias affects school leaders

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoshana N Jarvis ◽  
Jason Okonofua
Keyword(s):  
Black Students ◽  
White Students ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Exclusionary Discipline ◽  
Disciplinary Actions ◽  
School To Prison Pipeline ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Negative Impacts

In the classroom, Black students are disciplined more frequently and more severely for the same misbehaviors as White students. Though teachers have influence over disciplinary actions, the final decisions for exclusionary discipline (i.e., suspensions and expulsions) are principals’ responsibility. We test how principals make disciplinary decisions in a preregistered experiment. Principals endorsed more severe discipline for Black students compared with White students across two time points. Further, this discipline severity was explained through Black students being more likely to be labeled a troublemaker than White students. Future efforts should focus on principals in order to mitigate the negative impacts of the school-to-prison pipeline.

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