Poster #41 - Extra-Exclusionary Discipline: A Mixed Methods Study of Trapdoor Pathways out of Preschool

• In Event: Poster Session 17

Abstract

Introduction and Theoretical Perspective

Extensive empirical research indicates that exclusionary school discipline (e.g., suspension, expulsion) is a racialized phenomenon in United States public schools. Similar to K-12 schools, patterns of racialized exclusionary discipline are observed in preschools (e.g., Gilliam, 2005). State and federal policies have emerged to regulate exclusionary discipline in early childhood settings (Davis et al., 2020). It is unclear, however, whether increased regulation of exclusionary discipline enhances access, inclusion, and equity, or the extent to which it facilitates unregulated, undocumented forms of “extra-exclusionary” discipline — systematic pathways out of preschool that achieve the same ends as exclusionary discipline but are beyond the scope of existing research and regulatory frameworks. To investigate this phenomenon, this paper engages a theoretical perspective guided by the following two premises: (1) racism is “enmeshed in the fabric of our social order” (Ladson-Billings, 1998, p. 11), and (2) the carceral and educational systems are entangled (e.g., Meiners, 2011).

Method

Using a mixed methods convergent design, this study involved a survey (n = 60) and interviews (n = 24) with preschool professionals (e.g., teachers, leaders, and staff) from one large school district in a large city on the West Coast. Participant demographics appear consistent with the preschool workforce in the general population (e.g., Powell et al., 2021). Survey data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis to model dimensions of participants’ responses to extra-exclusionary discipline items (e.g., "How likely is it that you would encourage Terrell’s family to enroll him in a different preschool program?" where 1 = Not at all likely, 5 = Extremely likely), which they answered after reading vignettes about a hypothetical Black boy in their preschool classroom. Interview data were collected using nonschedule standardized interviews (Richardson et al., 1965), wherein protocols included items about participants’ knowledge and experiences of classroom discipline, ecological context, and the virtual classroom context amid COVID-19. Interview data were analyzed using an integrated process of deductive, inductive, and abductive approaches to derive themes. The quantitative and qualitative results were merged as an integrated framework to describe salient themes and underlying dimensions of extra-exclusionary discipline.

Results and Discussion

First, the quantitative results suggest a two-factor model wherein underlying dimensions of extra-exclusion include correction and treatment. Second, the qualitative results indicate five distinct themes of trapdoor pathways: disenrollment, early release, in-school, referral, and virtual measures. In particular, the narrative data illustrates how extra-exclusionary trapdoors and associated underlying dimensions are situated in a precarious ecological context and “fragile and vulnerable nonsystem” of preschool education in the United States (Pianta et al., 2009, p. 49). This paper presentation will engage the audience in discussing next steps for equity-focused collaborations (e.g., research-practice-policy partnerships) focused on structural sources of exclusion rather than downstream symptoms such as disparities or disproportionalities in discipline outcomes.

Author

• Brita A. Bookser, Santa Clara University
  Presenting Author