3-232 - Working to End Racial Disparities in Schools: A Focus on School Discipline and Student Engagement

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Despite decades of national concern, there continue to be disparities in educational, health, economic, and other developmental outcomes between culturally and linguistically diverse youth and their White peers. These disparities are of great concern in to the U.S. educational system (Kewel Ramani et al., 2007; Waitoller, Artiles, & Cheney, 2010), where the overrepresentation of minority students in discipline (Bradshaw, Mitchell, O’Brennan et al., 2010; Skiba et al., 2002; Krezmien, Leone, & Achilles, 2006) has been well-documented. The current panel aims to disentangle the complex factors contributing to these disparities in schools, particularly in relation to student discipline and engagement. The first paper uses a multilevel analytic approach to demonstrate that racially inequitable school discipline practices are associated with differences in adolescents’ social and emotional adjustment at school. The second paper leverages data from the state of Virginia to examine principal leadership and school policies (e.g., Zero Tolerance) in relation to disparities between students’ experience of suspension in response to different types of offenses. In an effort to bridge these gaps, the third paper presents findings from a recent randomized controlled trial testing the impact of a teacher-focused cultural proficiency and student engagement program on staff and student outcomes in elementary and middle schools. Taken together, these papers provide greater insight into issues central to reducing disparities in schools, including school climate, equity, engagement, and connectedness. An expert in disparities in educational and developmental outcomes will serve as the discussant, thereby identifying common themes and implications based on these studies.

Sub Unit

• Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Chair

• Catherine P Bradshaw, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

Discussant

• Anne Gregory, Rutgers University

Individual Presentations

• Inequitable School Discipline Practices and Disparate Psychosocial Outcomes Among Black and White Adolescents - Presenting Author: Jessika Bottiani, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Catherine P Bradshaw, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health; Tamar Mendelson, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

• Principal Attitudes Regarding Zero Tolerance and Racial Disparities in School Suspension - Presenting Author: Anna Heilbrun, University of Virginia; Dewey Cornell, Univ of Virginia; Peter Lovegrove, JBS International

• Increasing Cultural Proficiency and Student Engagement in the Double Check Program: Preliminary Findings from a Randomized Trial - Presenting Author: Catherine P Bradshaw, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health; Elise T Pas, Johns Hopkins University; Katrina Debnam, Johns Hopkins University