Schooling While Black: Analyzing the Racial School Discipline Crisis for Behavior Analyst

Area of Science:

• Education Policy
• Criminal Justice
• Behavior Analysis

Background:

• The school-to-prison pipeline highlights racial injustice in disciplinary actions.
• Black children face disproportionate exclusionary discipline in schools, a growing concern in early childhood education.
• This crisis impacts academic trajectories from kindergarten onward.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the gap in behavior analytic literature regarding racism in schools.
• To raise awareness of anti-Black racism within American educational systems.
• To guide behavior analysts in dismantling oppressive educational structures.

Main Methods:

• Literature review on racial injustice and school discipline.
• Analysis of the role of behavior analysts in addressing behavioral concerns.
• Examination of the impact of exclusionary disciplinary actions.

Main Results:

• Significant racial disparities exist in school disciplinary actions.
• Early childhood exclusionary practices are linked to long-term academic challenges.
• There is a lack of research on racism within the field of behavior analysis.

Conclusions:

• Behavior analysts must acknowledge and address anti-Black racism in schools.
• Awareness of systemic racism is a critical first step for behavior analysts.
• Dismantling oppressive systems requires active engagement from behavior analysts.