Understanding Racial Harm: A Study of Discipline Disparities in Progressive Public Schools

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Black Educational Research as Justice Praxis

Abstract

Racial disparities in school discipline have long been a defining feature of educational inequity, typically framed as instances of discrimination. However, I argue that these disparities constitute a broader and more enduring issue: racial harm. I conceptualize racial harm as a framework that extends beyond individual discriminatory acts to encompass long-term consequences of systemic inequities. These consequences are visible in the disproportionate exclusion of Black and Brown students from learning environments; the psychological and social impact of punitive discipline on students’ academic trajectories; and the reinforcement of racialized structures that normalize and sustain these disparities. Addressing discipline disparities requires direct engagement with the concept of racial harm, shifting the focus from momentary disparities to enduring consequences embedded in school systems.

Author

• Gabriela López, Stanford University