This article presents a new approach to understanding higher rates of punitive discipline utilized against Black students and in Black schools by combining the theoretical construct of antiblackness with Robert Emerson's last resort sanctions to create the framework of Antiblackness in Last Resort Sanctions. This article is the first to apply last…

In this essay, we draw on the extant literature to demonstrate the entrenchment of a "reform" paradigm in school discipline policy, research, and practice. We argue that the slow pace of school discipline reform has not served Black children and youth and compels a stronger stance on ending exclusionary discipline once and for all. So…

Persistent racial disparities in students' disciplinary outcomes have been one of the most concerning educational policy and equity topics for decades. Despite the hypervisibility of Black students in school discipline conversations, research and practice evade a focus on anti-Black racism. In this essay, we draw from Black Critical Theory…

Years ago, a groundbreaking review of student data from the 2013-2014 school year indicated that Black students were overrepresented among those experiencing punishment in a variety of contexts. In the intervening decade, new data has emerged, schools have implemented policies to reduce racial disparities, researchers have highlighted new methods…

Purpose: Racial disparities in schools' use of exclusionary discipline remain a persistent concern, particularly for Black students. Research examining the interplay of school factors on their influence on the use of exclusionary disciplinary punishments has overlooked the role that staffing instability, particularly in the form of teacher…

Research suggests that a cycle of misbehavior can escalate quickly from corrections over minor rule infractions to threats of serious disciplinary consequences. There is also evidence that Black youth may be especially at risk for these escalations due to subtle or implicit racial bias, or cultural mismatches that may lead teachers to believe that…

School Resource Officers (SRO) are sworn-in police officers; however, while performing the job functions of an SRO they must adhere to the Memorandum of Understanding between SRO and the school in which they are employed. This study explored the perceptions of school administrators on the job functions of SROs within a particular school and how…

The U.S. Department of Education released a data set in 2011-2012 regarding discipline in schools in the U.S. The data revealed Black girls were the fastest growing population of students experiencing suspension and expulsion. Compared to their White peers, Black girls were suspended at a rate of six times more. The theoretical framework for this…

Racial inequities in school discipline are well-established, but most studies have examined disparities at the school or district level rather than the individual level. Examining how individual teacher characteristics relate to discipline disparities could yield important information for consultation. We utilized a sample of 300 teachers (each…

School discipline has been of primary interest in education over the past six decades. Examining the expansive body of literature on zero tolerance policies, the school-to-prison pipeline, and the criminalization and exclusion of Black girls specifically sends a resounding reminder of the work that remains to be done in the interest of their…

Joining the chorus of Black/Critical Race Feminist scholarship in education, this article explores how both affect and visuality inform understandings of safety for Black girls in schools. Using participatory visual ethnography, I explore how five young Black women at a Philadelphia magnet school conceptualize safety as an affective achievement of…

This qualitative study aimed to examine African American students' perceptions regarding their school's disciplinary policies and procedures. This study was an attempt to answer the following central questions: What are the perceptions of African American students regarding their high school's disciplinary policies and procedures? What is the…

The problem addressed in this study is that zero-tolerance policies impact African-American female students through suspension, expulsions, and law enforcement referrals more than their White counterparts. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative ex post facto study was to determine if a significant difference exists in the exclusionary…

The purpose of this paper is to explore the ways in which white fear governs school discipline policies and practices in Alabama. Specifically, we advance white fear as a conceptual framework through which school discipline policies implementation, interpretation, and data reporting can be understood. We focus here on the case of Alabama public…

A growing number of schools are adopting restorative justice (RJ) practices that de-emphasize exclusionary discipline and aim for racial equity. We examine student discipline as RJ programs matured in Meadowview Public Schools from 2008 to 2017. Our difference-in-difference estimates show that students in RJ schools experienced a profound decline…