Understanding Racial Inequities in School Discipline (SOP89)

Discipline in pre-K through 12 schools is not doled out equally, as black students, boys and students with disabilities are suspended and expelled at much higher rates than other students, according to a report released last year by the Government Accountability Office. These types of harsh discipline can have dire consequences on a child’s future, including putting him or her at a higher risk of falling into the school-to-prison pipeline. Guests Amanda Sullivan, PhD, associate professor of educational psychology at the University of Minnesota, and Ivory Toldson, PhD, professor of counseling psychology at Howard University, are experts on discipline disparities in pre-K to 12 schools.