<p>In U.S. school districts, African American special-education students are disciplined more
heavily than other students. This case study examined how a suburban high school district in
Southern California addressed disproportionality and significant disproportionality in the
discipline of African American students with disabilities. The study gathered qualitative data
through interviews with 28 of the district?s employees?including officials, administrators,
psychologists, security officers, teachers, and classified staff?and analysis of the interviews,
along with relevant documents and field notes.
This research provides an overall picture of the challenges involved in overcoming
disproportionality and significant disproportionality in student discipline, especially those of
marginalized groups, and suggests ways to improve school programs. The study highlights the
importance of taking cultural issues into account as they relate to employing effective
disciplinary tactics, especially for African American special-education students. Findings
indicate that district employees may not clearly understand which student population the
California Department of Education (CDE) has identified as disciplined disproportionally or
significantly disproportionally (African American students in general or African American
special-education students) and that current practices have been inefficient in addressing the
issue of significant disproportionality. The findings also demonstrate a systemic racism and
favoritism of students who embody White hegemonic values and that this impact is represented
in the significantly disproportional discipline of African American students with disabilities. The
findings support the need for school communities to discuss the best ways to teach African
American special-education students and create a targeted approach to dealing with the excessive
discipline of this population rather than continuing with the current generic approach.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10745060 |
| Date | 22 March 2018 |
| Creators | Barton-Vasquez, Katherine Anne |
| Publisher | Loyola Marymount University |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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