Zero Tolerance Policy: The Racialized and Gendered Nature of School Discipline

• In Event: Roundtable Session 45
  In Roundtable Session: Revealing and Reinterpreting Social Inequalities in Schools

Abstract

Paper examines zero tolerance policy and the effects on African American students. Research indicates that zero tolerance policy has resulted in overrepresentation of African American students, particularly males, in exclusionary discipline measures of suspension and expulsion. To illustrate the pervasive nature of the policy, national, state, and school level data will be examined. To highlight the effects of the policy on Black males, critical race theory (CRT) and gender theory will be used. Main themes emerging from the analysis include school structures and organization, power and control, school culture, cultural conflict/mismatch, historical context, racial discrimination, Black boy’s masculinity, physicality, and the desire to control their space. Also, policy implications for federal, state, local education agencies, and schools are discussed.

Author

• Nathern S. Okilwa, The University of Texas - Austin