Examining the Manifestations of Anti-Blackness in School Discipline Disparities

• In Event: Do You Really See Me? An Examination of the Influences of Educator and Student Perceptions on Development

Abstract

The racial reckoning catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic has reenergized concerns on why alternative approaches to exclusionary discipline are seemingly insufficient in reducing disparities in suspensions. This systematic literature review unpacks the role of anti-blackness in exclusionary discipline practices among administrators and teachers. Utilizing a Black Critical Theory (BlackCrit) framework, we synthesize the findings of empirical studies that center Black students’, teachers’, and families’ disciplinary experiences. Emergent themes that identify manifestations of anti-blackness in relation to school discipline include: 1. Criminalizing and pathologizing beliefs of Black students, 2. Deficit beliefs and low expectations of Black students, and 3. Afro-Pessimism among Black students across intersectional identities. These themes reinforce theoretical and empirical understandings of anti-blackness in education that must be addressed.

Authors

• Neha Sobti, New York City Department of Education

• Richard O Welsh, New York University