Pinpointing and Profiling Disciplinary Excellence and Exemplary Performance

• In Event: Part 1: Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Urban Education: Past, Present, and Future Directions

Abstract

Scholars indicate that improving the academic performance of Black children is directly connected to the reduction or elimination of punitive and exclusionary school discipline practices (Bell & Puckett, 2023; Gregory et al., 2010). Black children deserve to learn in schools that exhibit excellence by frequently applying non-punitive discipline practices and are exemplars at supporting Black children toward high academic performance. The intersection of academic performance and school disciplinary practices in urban schools requires additional investigation. Drawing on student- and campus-level data, this study investigated which, if any, urban elementary and middle schools in a southern state in the US exhibited high academic performance and low disciplinary or proportionate school discipline outcomes for Black children. Second, this study aimed to understand the characteristics of students, educators, and auxiliary staff in these schools. Lastly, we conducted a geospatial analysis to determine whether these schools were located within or outside a large urban-centric city.

Authors

• John A. Williams, Texas A&M University

• Sonyia Richardson, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Chance W. Lewis, University of North Carolina - Charlotte