ERIC Number: EJ1113080
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Aug
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0198-7429
EISSN: N/A
Vulnerable Decision Points for Disproportionate Office Discipline Referrals: Comparisons of Discipline for African American and White Elementary School Students
Smolkowski, Keith; Girvan, Erik J.; McIntosh, Kent; Nese, Rhonda N. T.; Horner, Robert H.
Behavioral Disorders, v41 n4 p178-195 Aug 2016
Racial disparities in rates of exclusionary school discipline are well documented and seemingly intractable. However, emerging theories on implicit bias show promise in identifying effective interventions. In this study, we used school discipline data from 1,666 elementary schools and 483,686 office discipline referrals to identify specific situations in which disproportionality was more likely. Results were largely consistent with our theoretical model, indicating increased racial and gender disproportionality for subjectively defined behaviors, in classrooms, and for incidents classified as more severe. The time of day also substantially affected disproportionality. These findings can be used to pinpoint specific student--teacher interactions for intervention.
Descriptors: Disproportionate Representation, Elementary School Students, Teacher Student Relationship, Intervention, Racial Differences, Gender Differences, Behavior Problems, Comparative Analysis, White Students, African American Students, Discipline, Regression (Statistics)
Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders. Council for Exceptional Children, 1110 North Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22201-5704. Tel: 612-276-0140; Fax: 612-276-0142; Web site: http://www.ccbd.net/publications/behavioraldisorders
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Office of Special Education Programs (ED/OSERS)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: H326S130004