Examining Racialized Organization to Understand Racial Disproportionality in a Suburban School District

• In Event: Exclusionary Practices and Reparative Pathways at the Intersection of Disability and Race

Abstract

Objective: This paper is aimed to explore the complex mechanisms of exclusionary practices impacting Black students and families ranging from municipality to school district to within school. I aim to understand racial disproportionality in school discipline and special education beyond mere numerical calculation, viewing race beyond simply demographic characteristics but as a social relation (Ray, 2019). The goal is to provide socio-spatial-historical perspectives on racial disproportionality in behavioral outcomes, situating individual actions, including prejudices and biases, within the organizational context where people learn and develop (Rogoff, 2003). I delve into a case of Cornwall School District (CSD) in the Midwest. Black students in CSD were overrepresented in suspension, behavioral disturbance, and learning disability. In 2018 where the research took place, Black students in CSD were 10 times more likely than their white peers to be identified as having E/BD.

Theoretical framework: This paper utilized the framework of racialized organization (Ray, 2019), which is meso-level racial structures central to contestation over racial meaning, the social construction of race, and stability and change in the racial order. These racialized organizations shape policies, practices, and cultures within educational institutions, perpetuating unequal outcomes and experiences for various racial groups (Ray, 2019). I also utilized critical geography to understand how space materializes racialized organization, particularly in the context of suburbs.

Methods and Data Sources: I utilized case study as the primary methodology of understanding the racialized organization in Cornwall (Stake, YEAR). Data for this study is based on (a)semi structured interviews with parents of color from low-income backgrounds, community members, city officials (city council members and director of economic development), current and former elected school board members; (b) extensive document analysis of school district and municipality archives; (c) local newspapers. Data collection was done between 2018-19 academic year.

Results:
Examining racialized organization, the meso-level of the municipality and school district informs us about the continuous process of pathologizing Black students and families from the inception of the municipality until recent. This study suggests that overrepresentation of historically minoritized students, particularly Black students in Cornwall cannot be separated from the ongoing struggles surrounding racial and economic segregation embedded in spatial dynamics that dated back to the inception of the city as a middle-class white suburban community. Systemic segregation may play a role in producing the social climate that gives rise to the patterns of racial disproportionality Black students.

Significance:
The findings have implications for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners seeking to address educational disparities affecting students from marginalized backgrounds, including those from low-income and racially diverse communities. The study also contributes to the theoretical and practical frameworks of the field of (special) education by highlighting the significance of incorporating social, spatial, and historical dimensions of racial disproportionality while examining various social markers such as race, class, disability, and other characteristics that are socially significant (Artiles, 2003; Bal, 2017; Tefera et al., 2023; Waitoller & Annamma, 2017).

Author

• Dian Mawene, University of Wisconsin - Madison