Discourse and Discipline: A Mixed-Methods Study of Language in School Codes of Conduct

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Advocating and Supporting Socially Just School Reform

Abstract

Recent data show extremely disproportionate discipline practices in schools which negatively impact minoritized students. Discourse and language in school disciplinary policies can reflect the endemic nature of racism in society. Incorporating critical discourse analysis and text mining, this mixed methods research offers a more complex understanding of the impact of policy language and discourse on creating and maintaining prescriptive school climates. This study examines how racist power structures in society are reflected in exclusionary practices and how this plays a role in the school-to-prison pipeline.

Authors

• Emily Casey-Wagemaker, New York University

• Jessica Sierk, St. Lawrence University

• Daniel Look, St. Lawrence University