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Racial Bias in Student Discipline Research

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7 views2 pages

Racial Bias in Student Discipline Research

Uploaded by

nathaniel.adams.us
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Nathaniel Adams

Research Prospectus Draft


November 24, 2020

Introduction:
RQ: What factors contribute to the social construction of “good” or “bad”
students? Do patterns of discipline vary by the race/ethnicity of the student?

Research indicates that black students are given heavier-handed punishments for the
same behaviors. It has been demonstrated that much of this disparity in punishment is
accounted for by the implicit biases of teachers, regardless of the teacher’s own race.
That is, many times “good” and “bad” students are determined by the instructor’s implicit
biases, not necessarily the students behaviors.

Our understanding of what environmental changes are necessary to reduce these


implicit biases is only just emerging. Once we have a better grasp on how to control for
these factors, school decision-makers will be able to create more equitable disciplinary
actions for students of color.

Specific question: Are instructors selected for the Manhood Development Program
less likely to disproportionately punish students?

Relevant Statistical Data from Oak_Tech.xlsx


Student suspensions aren’t broken down by race except for suspension for defiance. In
that category, 2 out of 2 suspensions are of black students. This is not a statistically
significant figure to draw any conclusions from. It would be interesting to see the
severity of punishments for the same offense by race.

Preliminary Literature Review

Two Strikes: Race and the Disciplining of Young Students

This study found that teachers subconsciously offer partiality to white students over
non-white students. This implicit bias occurs consistently regardless of the race of the
teacher. While there are certainly sociological conditions that can lead to non-white
students committing more misbehaviors, the teachers’ implicit biases lead to harsher
punishments for the same misbehaviors. In my research, I would like to explore how
variables surrounding the teachers, not the students, can reduce unfair punishments.

Teachers Are People Too: Examining the Racial Bias of Teachers Compared to Other
American Adults

This analysis found that teachers hold similar levels of explicit and implicit biases as
non-teachers. The question I’m trying to resolve in my research is whether instructor
selection can reduce disparities in student punishment for the same misbehaviors. The
instructors chosen to oversee the Manhood Development Program are selected based
on “cultural competency, understanding of youth development, and past experience
teaching.”

If their instructors demonstrate lower levels of implicit bias and treat misbehavior equally
regardless of race, their method for instructor selection could help close the punishment
gap between white students and non-white students.

Methodology

Initially, I would like to collect data on how instructors handle punishment and student
rehabilitation in the Manhood Development Program. Additionally, I’d like to compare
their severity of punishments by the race of the student. Afterwards, I’d use this
information to build a better picture of the discrepancy between the Manhood
Development Program and nearby schools and after school programs. This will help
answer the posed question.

While these numbers can help inform the question, there are too many confounding
variables to conclude that any particular factor of hiring is causing a punishment
discrepancy one way or the other. To offer this in my study as further discussions, I’d
like to understand more about the disciplinary policies of the program. Additionally, I’d
present an ethnographic survey of the instructors and their attitudes towards race and
discipline as well as a measurement of their cultural competency compared to
instructors in the second study of the preliminary literature review.

Common questions

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The research suggests that implicit bias in educational settings can be mitigated by selecting instructors based on traits like cultural competency and by providing training in youth development. These efforts aim to foster awareness and understanding, reducing the likelihood of biased disciplinary actions against non-white students .

Ethnographic surveys provide in-depth insights into instructors' personal attitudes and cultural competencies, offering a qualitative understanding of biases in school discipline. However, they may be limited by subjectivity and the potential reluctance of educators to disclose true biases, thus affecting the accuracy of results .

Determining the impact of instructor selection on disciplinary disparities is challenging due to numerous confounding variables. It is difficult to isolate the effects of cultural competency and bias from other influencing factors within educational environments. Additionally, the lack of detailed racial breakdown in disciplinary data complicates analysis .

The Manhood Development Program selects instructors based on cultural competency, understanding of youth development, and teaching experience, aiming to lower implicit bias levels. If instructors demonstrate lower bias and consistent discipline across races, their selection criteria could reduce the punishment gap between white and non-white students .

Cultural competency helps reduce racial disparities in school discipline by fostering an understanding and respect for diverse backgrounds among instructors. Programs like the Manhood Development Program that emphasize cultural competency in their instructor selection can potentially minimize implicit biases and ensure fairer treatment of all students .

The analysis showing similar levels of bias in teachers and the general adult population implies that educational policies should include comprehensive bias training and structured criteria for instructor selection. Addressing bias more effectively at the institutional level could lead to more equitable educational outcomes .

Research shows that implicit biases held by teachers result in harsher punishments for non-white students, often for the same behaviors exhibited by white students. These biases are present regardless of the teacher's race, indicating a widespread issue in educational environments .

Focusing on factors surrounding teachers is crucial because teacher biases significantly dictate the disparities in punishment. By addressing these biases, discrepancies in disciplinary actions based on race are more likely to be minimized, creating a fairer educational environment for students from all backgrounds .

Implicit biases in teachers contribute to shaping perceptions of 'good' and 'bad' students by influencing their responses to student behaviors. Teachers often view similar behaviors differently based on the race of the student, leading to stigmatization of non-white students and differential treatment in disciplinary practices .

The statistical data on student suspensions for defiance is not extensive enough to draw significant conclusions. Out of two suspensions, both were for black students, a figure too small to provide reliable insights into broader trends or causal factors .

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