Administering discipline: An examination of the factors shaping school discipline practices

Written By Richard O. Welsh

Richard O. Welsh
Education and Urban Society
2023

Citation:

Richard O. Welsh, "Administering discipline: An examination of the factors shaping school discipline practices," Education and Urban Society, pp. 1-34. Copyright © 2023 (The Author(s)). DOI: 10.1177/00131245231208170.

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Abstract

School discipline is a significant educational policy and equity issue in K-12 education due to well-documented racial inequality in exclusionary discipline and the deleterious effects of exclusionary discipline on academic and adult outcomes. Drawing on interviews with district and school administrators and teachers in an “urban-emergent” district, this exploratory qualitative case study identifies and explicates the key factors that shape disciplinary practices within schools. Two major factors emerge as critical to school discipline practices in K-12 schools: (a) teacher preparation and (b) modeling of effective school discipline practices (how school leaders support teachers and how mentors support school leaders in the disciplinary process). Four key themes regarding teacher preparation emerge (a) relationship building, (b) classroom management, (c) cultural responsiveness and proficiency, and (d) experiential learning. The race and gender of educators permeate these factors. Implications for education policy and practice are discussed.

Keywords

educational leadership; school discipline; exclusionary discipline; educational equity; education policy

Richard O. Welsh
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School Leadership, Race, and School Discipline: Examining the Relationship between School-Leader-Student Racial Congruence and the Likelihood of Exclusionary Discipline
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Adding Color to My Tears: Toward a Theoretical Framework for Antiblackness in School Discipline