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Beyond the Low‐Hanging Fruit: Reducing Racial Inequality by Rethinking School Safety Efforts
Author(s) -
Kupchik Aaron
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
sociological forum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.937
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1573-7861
pISSN - 0884-8971
DOI - 10.1111/socf.12614
Subject(s) - embeddedness , school discipline , inequality , bureaucracy , sociology , racism , democracy , race (biology) , racial bias , structural inequality , discipline , school violence , criminology , public relations , political science , gender studies , social science , law , politics , pedagogy , social psychology , psychology , mathematical analysis , mathematics
In this essay, I examine the problem of excessive and racially disproportionate school discipline. I begin by considering how each of the four most popular Democratic candidates in the presidential primary race as of January 2020 addresses this issue. Excessive and racially disproportionate school discipline harms students, schools, and communities, and it deepens existing racial inequalities. Each candidate promises some remedy, and all represent a step in the right direction. However, all of their proposals are shallow. To fruitfully address these issues, policymakers must consider the cultural embeddedness of school discipline, how it is implemented within complex school bureaucracies, and the underlying racial inequality that shapes school discipline. Policymakers must also draw attention to the fact that schools are, overall, safe and do not require the massive investments in security personnel and technology that draw funds away from more effective supports for students.