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The Evolution of Public Awareness of Racial Disparities in School Discipline: Media Treatments of Zero-Tolerance Discipline Policies and the School-to-Prison Pipeline

Sun, April 19, 8:15 to 9:45am, Sheraton, Floor: Fourth Level, Chicago VI&VII

Abstract

This study utilizes content analysis to understand media treatment of zero tolerance and the “school to prison pipeline” between 1999 and 2014. Using a systematic review of articles in national and local newspapers, we find that awareness of the school to prison pipeline has grown and coverage of zero tolerance has shifted from mostly positive or neutral, to almost uniformly negative. Coverage of zero tolerance has remained largely race-neutral, while writing on the pipeline has been critical and largely race-conscious from the start. We find that community organizing groups and civil rights organizations framed this discourse, particularly early on. Analysis increases understanding of how educational justice movements might influence public dialogue and thereby increase equity in public education.

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