Teacher Beliefs and the Overrepresentation of Black Students in Classroom Discipline

Abstract

Racial disparities in teacher-issued office discipline referrals are less discussed than the well-documented suspension gaps. Discipline referrals, like suspension, can lead to lost instructional time. Although individuals are sent out of the classroom for a range of reasons, Black students, as a group, are at greater risk of being sent out than White students. In fact, studies have shown that when comparing students with similar characteristics, Black students remain at higher risk of being referred. In this article, we argue there is a need to raise teacher awareness about negative racial beliefs and the conditions under which those beliefs impact decision-making during discipline incidents. We further point out the need to foster teacher awareness about the power of positive beliefs in affecting student outcomes and the malleability of beliefs and disciplinary practices through intervention.

Additional Resources

1. Creating Opportunities through Relationships: An online teacher professional development program http://www.corclassrooms.org/

   Creating Opportunities through Relationships (COR) is a publically available and free on-line professional development program designed for kindergarten to eighth grade teachers. The modules focus on building positive relationships in classrooms with diverse learners to foster engagement and learning and reduce discipline disparities in classroom discipline. The COR was developed at the University of Virginia’s Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL), funded by Atlantic Philanthropies and the WT Grant Foundation.

2. Colorlines video series, “Life Cycles of Inequity: A Series on Black Men.” http://colorlines.com/archives/2014/05/life_cycles_of_inequity_a_colorlines_series_on_black_men.html

   In 2014, ColorLines launched a monthly series exploring the ways in which injustice impacts every stage of black male life, “Life Cycles of Inequity: A Series on Black Men.” Documentary filmmaker André Robert Lee directed the series, including a focus group of eight young men in Oakland. The short clip shows the young men talking with each other about feeling prejudged by teachers and grappling with low teacher academic and behavioral expectations.

3. The Discipline Disparities Research to Practice Collaborative http://www.indiana.edu/~atlantic/briefing-papers/

   In consultation with educators, advocates, and researchers across the nation, the Discipline Disparities Research to Practice Collaborative, developed a set of Briefing Papers offering evidence-based and practical information for improving the effectiveness and equity of school discipline.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anne Gregory

Anne Gregory, Ph.D., and Gabrielle Roberts are both at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University.

Gabrielle Roberts

Anne Gregory, Ph.D., and Gabrielle Roberts are both at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University.