Disrupting Settler-Colonial School Discipline: Future-Forward Speculations in the Face of Uncertainty and Sociopolitical Challenges

• In Event: Disrupting School Discipline and Teacher Entitlement With CHAT

Abstract

In the U.S., American Indian youth face marginalization in the settler-colonial school system, especially through exclusionary discipline practices. These practices erase Indigenous bodies from learning spaces and reinforce settler-colonial privilege. The Indigenous Learning Lab, implemented in a rural Midwest high school in 2019-2020, developed locally meaningful solutions, but COVID-19 required adaptations to the changing sociocultural and political contexts. This study explores how Indigenous youth, families, educators, and allies employed forward-looking speculations to navigate uncertainties and political tensions from COVID-19 and racial injustice. An instrumental case study analyzed meetings, interviews, field notes, and artifacts from 2021-2022. The Northwoods High School community used historical, sociocultural, and sociopolitical speculations to envision a decolonized school system for students' joy, dignity, and prosperity.

Authors

• Dosun Ko, Santa Clara University

• Aydin Bal, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Linda Orie, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Jahyun Yoo, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Elizabeth Schrader, University of Wisconsin - Madison