Reversing Racial Disparity Trends in School Discipline (2015)

Undergraduate: Rani Reddy

Faculty Advisor: Patrick Akos
Department: Public Policy

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This research project is a study of the causes of disproportionate suspensions in public schools and how to prevent these disproportionate suspensions. Black, male, and low-income students are overrepresented in school discipline. Evidence shows that implicit bias in schools causes teachers to hold lower expectations for African American and Latino children compared to European American children. This implicit bias manifests in school discipline as African American and Latino students are more likely than their white peers to receive expulsion or out of school suspension as a consequence for the same behavior. This study examines strategies and tactics for teachers and school personnel to use that can reduce and eventually eliminate the disproportionality in school discipline.