School Discipline

As communities well know, and as supported by research, Black and Brown children continue to experience more frequent and severe discipline compared with their White peers. School districts in the Road Map Project region have been overhauling school discipline practices in part because of greater recognition of these disproportionate rates. Research also shows that exclusionary discipline, or actions that remove students from their learning environments, fails to address the root causes of students’ behavior and negatively impacts their ability to achieve in school. Restorative justice practices that promote healing, positive school culture, and improve students’ sense of belonging are what local advocates are pushing toward.