Clash of Legal and Educational Logics in the Case of Civil Rights Enforcement and School Discipline

• In Event: 49.050 - Civil Rights and School Discipline Policy

Abstract

Some scholars argue that civil rights enforcement can lead to more equitable outcomes. Others argue that they create unintended consequences in schools. Still others argue that civil rights have only ever been enforced when doing so coincided with interests of dominant groups. Despite the endurance of these arguments, few empirical studies exist to illuminate how legal enforcement actions function in school districts to disrupt or maintain racialized outcomes. This qualitative case study examines how a large urban school district constructs and implements a negotiated agreement with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to address racially disproportionate school discipline. Preliminary findings illuminate the potential and concerns that arise when legal and educational logics intersect in urban district reform.

Author

• Danfeng Soto-Vigil Koon, University of San Francisco