New and Developing Research on Disparities in Discipline

Since first identified by the Children's Defense Fund nearly 40 years ago, researchers have consistently documented African American disproportionality in a range of exclusionary discipline practices including office disciplinary referrals, suspensions, expulsions, and corporal punishment. Since that time, the field has learned that contextual factors, such as higher rates of student misbehavior and higher rates of poverty, do not fully explain racial disparities. Some factors that may contribute to disparities include the racial diversity of the student body and school faculty, classroom and administrative decision-making processes, and differential experiences and perceptions of school climate.