Root causes of disproportionality in exclusionary discipline are multiply determined. Teachers' perceptions and implicit biases, enacted within the contexts of schools as racialised organisations, shape how educators interpret and respond to student behaviour. Focusing on the referral phase of the disciplinary process, this systematic review of…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "School Safety." Contents include: (1) Students Demand Safe, Supportive Schools:…

The present study assessed teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness and equitability of, and policy alternatives to, zero tolerance policies, as well as how teachers perceived the consideration of higher levels of governance to implement their recommendations regarding policy alternatives. This study used a research design of a case study, which…

Students with disabilities (SWDs) in U.S. public schools face unique challenges that profoundly shape their educational experiences and transition into adulthood, such as lower academic achievement and higher rates of exclusionary discipline and juvenile justice involvement. These disparities have far-reaching implications, impacting high school…

Zero tolerance policies were designed to create safety by implementing automatic exclusion (e.g., suspensions, expulsions) for misbehavior in response to rising school violence in the United States. However, evidence over the past four decades shows that these policies fail to increase objective and subjective safety, and instead foster poor…

Disproportionality persists with regard to the labeling of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). A blending of critical race theory and disability studies, or DisCrit, provides a framework to examine disproportionality. In this article, a DisCrit mindset is applied to examine how racism and ableism intersect to disproportionately…

Inspired by fears of school shootings and supported by substantial federal funding, the number of school resource officers (SROs) on our nation's K-12 campuses has increased exponentially. The consequences of this sea change have yet to be fully evaluated. What we do know suggests cause for concern. Specifically, SROs' presence may be contributing…

School-based equity leadership is written into policy in Oregon at the state level in the form of the Oregon Equity Lens, the administrator standards, and the Oregon Integrated Systems framework for school and district improvement plans. Educational equity policies have also been adopted by more than two dozen local school boards. However, these…

In this article, we present an extensive overview of inequities in three areas of education: (1) gifted and talented education; (2) accelerated coursework; (3) and discipline. Intersectionality undergirds our focus on these three areas as they go together to paint a disturbing picture of the experiences of Black children in P-12 schools, as well…

Traditionally schools have been spaces that are punitive and have strict behavior guidelines that include zero-tolerance policies. Thus, conventional behavior management practices blame students and position them as rule-breakers. Consequently, all students, but particularly those who come from complex backgrounds, minority groups, and vulnerable…

The problem addressed in this study was that, when enforced, the Zero Tolerance Policy (ZTP) prematurely introduced Black, Brown, and mentally ill students into the juvenile justice system. The central purpose of this qualitative case study was to discover if the ZTP influenced the school principal's past discretion, how that influence changed…

This publication provides an overview of the literature on school safety in the United States, with a focus on equity. Using the framework developed by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), this publication situates a comprehensive school safety approach as a balance of three key elements: physical safety, school climate, and student behavior,…

Restorative justice (RJ) has gained attention as an alternative to exclusionary discipline practices and as a solution to the racial discipline gap. While recognizing the possibilities of RJ, this article argues that it is crucial to pause and consider inherent contradictions and risks of RJ in schools. We argue that schools are governed by a…

Nationally, Black girls experience disproportionate discipline consequences more than any other group of students, starting in preschool with Black girls making up 20% of girls enrolled, but 54% of girls suspended from preschool (Camera, 2017). Inequitable, exclusionary discipline practices occur because there are many forms of institutionalized…

The reasons minority students are subject to exclusionary discipline more often than others are varied, but many experts agree that they often have little to do with the students themselves. Large rates of suspensions and expulsions tend to result from discipline policies in need of revision that are exacerbated by numerous administrators and…