Students with challenging behaviors can be some of the most vulnerable persons in educational settings when it comes to behavioral analytic practices. The potential for bias and racism influencing behavior analysis is elevated if those observing and evaluating behavior are not cognizant of cultural and societal differences. Behavior professionals…

Background: The STOMP agenda (Stopping Over-Medication of People with learning disabilities, autism, or both) drew focus to individuals with a diagnosis of a learning disability being prescribed psychotropic medication to manage 'behaviours that challenge'. The following study is an audit of two community learning disability services in the London…

Although the multitiered system of supports for behavior (MTSS-B) framework has emerged as a proactive, systemic framework to promote students' social, emotional, and academic outcomes, its implementation may not benefit all youth equitably without explicit considerations related to culturally and racially equitable practice. In this article, we…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between school-based racial discrimination by teachers and peers and academic outcomes (i.e., classroom misconduct, absenteeism, academic performance, school readiness, and school behavioral problems) over one year (Time 2) through the moderation of perceived social support from…

Instructor (mis)behavior research has traditionally been empirically dominated by White student samples, limiting the voice of underrepresented student populations. The present study extends scholarship on instructor (mis)behaviors by magnifying the voices of students of color with an intersectional lens. Utilizing surveys, participants (N = 154)…

Thirty-one U.S. states have laws that may result in students being arrested for misbehavior in school that is often considered a low-level rule violation. The problems with these laws include the vagueness and subjectivity of the language of the law. As a result, the enforcement of such laws has been criticized as being discriminatory, especially…

Disciplinary action towards racially minoritized students compared to their White peers is disproportionate and these actions often result from teachers' lived experiences, socialized perceptions, or a homogenous teaching workforce consisting of predominantly White middle-class women with limited social interactions with minoritized communities.…

This study explores trends and disparities in school discipline during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the persistence of racial gaps in exclusionary practices. Using student-level data from Arkansas from 2017/18 to 2022/23, we study how disciplinary outcomes relate to student race while controlling for factors such as the type and frequency of…

In this study, we identified the specific discipline decision situations (i.e., vulnerable decision points [VDPs]) that contribute most to racial discipline disparities from a sample of 2020 schools across the United States. We also examined how much VDPs contributed to overall discipline disparities and the extent which there was similarity among…

There is an established importance of classroom community, particularly for inclusive education (Kunc, 1992; Osterman, 2000; Sapon-Shevin, 2010). There is also a breadth of research around students who are most vulnerable to exclusion and othering in public schools and in classroom settings. Demographic factors such as race, socioeconomic status,…

Teachers often hold lower academic and behavioral expectations for Black students, and they are more likely to make a disciplinary referral for Black students than their White peers for similar infractions. The mechanism underlying this may be teachers' implicit attitudes about their Black students. This quantitative study examined the connection…

Many schools use exclusionary discipline--such as suspensions and expulsions--to deter students from misbehaving and to protect students from the harms associated with exposure to student misbehavior. Research indicates that, while often implemented with good intentions, exclusionary discipline increases (rather than deters) misbehavior and risks…

This study seeks to examine the connection between teacher implicit racial attitudes and how teachers label classroom behavioral disruptions. Grounding the research in attribution theory, which humans use in order to make sense of others' behavior through beliefs about locus of causality, stability, and controllability, the current study examined…

Racial inequality in exclusionary discipline is a salient educational equity issue. The implications of educators' discretion in administering discipline and the complexity of repeated office discipline referrals (ODRs) and suspensions are reflected in school discipline policy debates nationwide. This brief uses New York City to learn more about…

Previous research makes clear that racism can be a barrier to parental involvement in education. However, it is less clear how racism can facilitate parental involvement. This study uses national early childhood education data to gauge if racial/ethnic and gender disparities exist in teacher contact with parents/guardians. The study's aims are to…