Palace Struggles and the Master's Tools: The Limitations of Civil Rights Enforcement in the Current Era

• In Event: 58.053 - Discipline Policies and the School-to-Prison Pipeline: Civil Rights, Disproportionality, and Educational Equity

Abstract

What explains the confluence of elite political interest in invoking civil rights ideals and increasing federal civil rights enforcement in the sphere of education? What impact will contemporary civil rights advocacy and enforcement have on schooling and racial justice given the significant changes in the context of public education in recent years? This paper explores these questions through an in-depth qualitative case study of an urban district’s implementation of Obama’s “Supportive School Discipline Initiative,” an effort launched in 2010 to “reinvigorate civil rights enforcement,” and “eliminate the school-to-prison pipeline.” This case provides a unique opportunity to study the role and impact of civil rights enforcement within the current context of urban school district reform.

Author

• Danfeng Soto-Vigil Koon, University of San Francisco