ERIC Number: EJ1045195
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Nov
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0042-0972
EISSN: N/A
Discipline or Prejudice? Overrepresentation of Minority Students in Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs
Tajalli, Hassan; Garba, Houmma A.
Urban Review: Issues and Ideas in Public Education, v46 n4 p620-631 Nov 2014
The study seeks to determine the underlying factors contributing to the overrepresentation of minorities in school disciplinary programs. Data from 207 Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs (DAEPs) in Texas are analyzed. The data represent more than 62% of the student population of Texas school districts. Results support the hypothesis that the "whiteness" of school district undesirably affects the overrepresentation of Black students (but not Hispanic students) in DAEP. Overrepresentation of Black students in disciplinary programs is significantly higher in urban school districts than in rural districts. The findings, however, add a new layer of complexity to the debate on the overrepresentation of minorities in disciplinary programs. This is because not only White school districts are more likely than other districts to exercise their "discretionary" authority to punish minorities but they also more frequently subject their minority students to "mandatory" disciplines that are well defined by the state. Plausible explanations of such overrepresentation is offered for future research. Neither wealth nor the districts' type (urban, suburban, rural and mid-size) have been found to have significant impact on "discretionary" or "mandatory" disciplinary actions against minority students.
Descriptors: Disproportionate Representation, Minority Group Students, Discipline, Nontraditional Education, African American Students, Rural Urban Differences, Urban Schools, Rural Schools, Racial Differences, Racial Bias, School Districts, Suburban Schools, School District Size
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Texas
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A