School Counselors Involvement and Opportunities to Advocate Against Racialized Punitive Practices

Given the increase of violence against Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), there is no doubt a need to tackle racialized violence in schools. This phenomenological study draws on semi-structured interviews with school counselors to explore their experiences and practices to disrupt the racialized disciplinary practices that disproportionally target Black, Indigenous, and Students of Color. We draw on theories of racialized organizations and organizational routines to better understand how school counselors make sense of their practices in racialized disciplinary practices that dehumanize and criminalized youth of color. Findings from this study revealed two themes: 1) school counselors’ perceived neutrality towards disciplinary practices and 2) school counselors’ advocacy in racialized school discipline practices. This study offers some implications for professional school counseling organization, counselor educators, and school counselors to inform their anti-racist pedagogy to dismantle racialized punitive practices in schools.

Middle School Discipline Practices

This chapter discusses the challenges middle schools face when dealing with extreme behavior issues and provides real-world examples of one administrator's experience in the face of these situations. Looking at the newest trends in discipline strategies, including those of social-emotional learning and restorative practices, the authors provide an overview of their school-wide implementation. The authors also provide recommendations for educators who are facing similar situations and how to develop practices that support lasting cultural changes within schools and districts.

School Strictness and Education: Investigating Racial and Ethnic Educational Inequalities Associated with Being Pushed Out

There are racial and ethnic disparities associated with school discipline practices and pushout rates. In addition, research suggests that urban schools have stricter school discipline practices and higher pushout rates. What remains unknown, however, is the relationship between racial and ethnic inequality, school discipline practices, and pushout rates across urban, rural, and suburban schools. Therefore, this study draws from the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) to address two questions about the relationship between racial and ethnic inequality, school punishment practices, and academic progress that remain unanswered by the previous literature. First, is the relationship between stringent or lenient discipline practices and pushout rates similar in urban, rural, and suburban school contexts? Second, is the relationship between stringent or lenient discipline practices in urban, rural, and suburban contexts associated with racial and ethnic differences in pushout rates? This study seeks to contribute to racial and ethnic educational inequality research by investigating if there is a relationship between school discipline practices and pushout rates and establishing if there are racial and ethnic differences in urban, rural, and suburban contexts. Findings indicate that there are significant racial and ethnic disparities in pushout rates across all school contexts, particularly for Black/African American and Latina/o American students. Findings indicate that both stringent and lenient school punishment practices have effects on pushout rates; however, there are important and distinctive nuances that are presented and examined.

School Strictness and Disproportionate Minority Contact

There are racial and ethnic disparities associated with school discipline practices and juvenile justice contact. In addition, research suggests that stricter school discipline practices and disproportionate minority contact for minority youth are relatively more prevalent in urban areas. What remains unknown, however, is the relationship between race and ethnicity, school discipline practices, and juvenile justice referrals across urban, rural, and suburban schools. Therefore, this study draws from the Texas Education Agency’s Public Education Information Management System to investigate the relationship between school discipline practices and juvenile justice contact with a focus on racial and ethnic disparities in urban, rural, and suburban schools. Findings indicate that both stringent and lenient school discipline practices have effects on juvenile justice referrals as well as racial and ethnic disparities across distinct school locations; however, there are important and distinctive nuances that are presented and examined.