Combating Disproportionality in Office Discipline Referrals Through Teacher Professional Development

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Recentering the Stories: Teacher Research and In/Equity (Table 12)

Abstract

The current action research presented in this proposal dives into data from a diverse elementary school in suburban Howard County, Maryland, one of the wealthiest districts in the state, to determine the disconnect between office discipline referrals (ODRs) and newly implemented social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum and practices that intend to produce better outcomes for all students, yet students of color continue to be disproportionately affected. Using a modified version of the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium (MAEC) framework as an observational tool, classroom observations were conducted of 4th and 5th grade classrooms to develop a customized professional development aimed at promoting more equitable SEL classroom practices that ultimately could help to decrease these inequitable ODRs for students of color.

Authors

• Jordan Green, Loyola University Maryland

• Stephanie A. Flores-Koulish, Loyola University Maryland