School Discipline and the Importance of Context

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract

In recent years, schools' high rates of exclusionary discipline and the attendant racial disparities have been a growing concern. Although many studies have documented a suite of negative outcomes associated with exclusionary discipline for both students and schools, less attention has been given to the context in which such forms of discipline occur. This panel explores multiple contexts related to exclusionary discipline, including families, schools, and neighborhoods. Collectively, these studies contend that research on exclusionary school discipline—and the field of school safety more generally—should pay close attention to the role of context as it shapes the ways in which punishment is administered as well as the impacts it might have.

Sub Unit

• Area IX: Juvenile Crime and the Justice System / 60: Schools, School Violence, and Bullying

Individual Presentations

• Race, Parenting and School Punishment - Aaron Kupchik, University of Delaware; Thomas Mowen, University of Wyoming; Akiva Liberman, Urban Institute

• Zero-Tolerance, School Resource Officers, and Exclusionary Discipline in Context - Benjamin Fisher, University of Louisville

• Exclusionary Discipline and Neighborhood Crime - Julie Gerlinger, University of California, Irvine

Chairs

• Benjamin Fisher, University of Louisville

• Julie Gerlinger, University of California, Irvine

Discussant

• Paul Hirschfield, Rutgers University