Black Girls Matter: Listening to and Supporting Black Middle School Schools Who Have Experienced Excessive School Disciplinary Actions

• In Event: 63.084 - MTCC Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: 63.084-12 - Black Girls in the Literature, Learning, and Life

Abstract

Through this yearlong, critical ethnographic case study, two researchers explored the experiences of Black middle school girls who experienced excessive disciplinary actions. The study was conducted in response to the inequitable disciplinary practices that Black middle school girls face. Critical Race Theory and Critical Race Feminism provided a guiding framework for analyzing the interview narratives of focal girls, teachers and parents; observations from weekly mentorship forums; student work samples; and school disciplinary records. Findings speak to the ways in which school disciplinary actions were unsupportive of the focal girls academic, social and emotional well-being. Data from the study can be utilized to strengthen school and community support systems committed to protecting and ensuring the success of Black middle school girls.

Authors

• Theda Gibbs Grey, Ohio University

• Lisa Harrison, Ohio University