Managing Students and Space: A review of 21st-century classroom management interventions

• In Event: Restorative Justice, Black Geographies, and Voice: Reframing School Discipline as a Fight for Human Rights

Abstract

Although classroom management is widely regarded as a key component of instruction and student success, its implementation has produced inequitable outcomes. This literature review examines peer-reviewed scholarly articles from 2000 to 2025 that explore how classroom management affects teacher turnover, student-teacher relationships, and inequitable disciplinary practices in U.S. K-12 schools. It examines three major classroom management philosophies—positive reinforcement, student-centered approaches, and relationship-focused practices—and their corresponding interventions: Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), and Culturally Relevant/Responsive Practices (CRP). To address racial disparities stemming from classroom management, this review also introduces the theoretical framework, Black Geographies, which provides space as an analytic lens for understanding and applying classroom management

Author

• Janaya Little, University of Pennsylvania