Interventions to Address Racism in Disciplinary Actions in K-12 Schools: A Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Sociology of Education
• Racial Justice in Education

Background:

• Students of color face disproportionately higher rates of discipline in U.S. K-12 schools.
• These disparities contribute to negative outcomes like mental health issues, dropout rates, and the school-to-prison pipeline.
• Current interventions often focus on student behavior rather than systemic issues like racism and implicit bias.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review school-based interventions aimed at reducing racial disparities in U.S. K-12 school discipline.
• To identify effective intervention strategies and the research designs used to evaluate their efficacy.
• To highlight the need for culturally relevant practices in addressing the root causes of racial discipline gaps.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive systematic review of published literature on school-based interventions in U.S. K-12 schools.
• Inclusion criteria focused on studies addressing the race discipline gap, directly or indirectly.
• Analysis of 48 selected studies to identify intervention types and research methodologies.

Main Results:

• The review identified 48 studies examining interventions for racial disparities in school discipline.
• Only three studies reported success in reducing race disparities using culturally relevant interventions.
• The majority of interventions did not effectively address the root causes of racial disproportionality.

Conclusions:

• Culturally relevant practices are essential for effectively reducing racial disparities in school discipline.
• Interventions must address systemic issues, including racism and implicit bias, not just student behavior.
• Future research should consider the school's cultural context and target audience for intervention development.