“My Teacher Doesn’t Like Me”: Perceptions of Teacher Discrimination and School Discipline among African-American and Caribbean Black Adolescent Girls

Abstract

This study examined the impact of perceived teacher discrimination on the school discipline of African-American and Caribbean Black adolescent girls. The findings are drawn from a nationally representative sample of (n = 410) African-American and (n = 193) Caribbean Black adolescent girls age 13 to 17 (Mage = 15). Results indicate that perceiving discrimination from teachers was associated with higher school discipline (e.g., suspension, expulsion, and spending time in a jail, detention center) for African-American girls. For Caribbean Black girls, higher household income and school bonding was associated with lower school discipline. Older Caribbean Black girls were also more likely to receive higher school discipline. However, perceiving discrimination from teachers was not associated with school discipline for Caribbean Black girls. The developmental significance and implications for future research are discussed.

Exploring the Impact of Skin Tone Perception on Race-Related Outcomes and Familial Functioning Among African American Youth: Implications for African-Centered Interventions

“…Thus, as African American children age, they may become more aware of these messages through forms of media less accessible to their younger counterparts. Research details how Black children are socially mistreated in institutions such as schools and justice and child welfare systems, and that this mistreatment deteriorates with time (Butler-Barnes & Inniss-Thompson, 2020) Therefore, this maltreatment over time may explain changes in public regard due to age.…”

Black girls and the discipline gap: Exploring the early stages of the school-to-prison pipeline

“…Studies suggest that these factors impact the likelihood that a student may be disciplined (Butler et al 2012;Latimore et al 2017;Mendez and Knoff 2003). There is evidence that the stronger the bonds youth have to their schools, the less likely they are to be disciplined or engage in delinquency (Butler-Barnes and Inniss-Thompson 2020;Payne 2008). Jenkins (1995Jenkins ( /1997 asserts that decreasing levels of school commitment is linked to increasing rates of school crime, misconduct, and nonattendance.…”

“…Although this work is warranted, there is a gap in the literature that addresses racialized and gendered discipline disparities. To fill this gap, a growing body of literature has begun to center Black girls to examine how they experience discipline similarly and differently than Black boys (Annamma et al 2019;Blake et al 2011;Butler-Barnes and Inniss-Thompson 2020;George 2015;Martin and Smith 2017;Slate et al 2016).…”

“…The link between school and prison has been explored both directly through zero-tolerance policies (ZTPs) and police presences in schools and indirectly through academic outcomes (i.e., achievement, grade retention, and drop out) (Hines-Datiri and Carter Andrews 2017;Martin and Smith 2017). Research suggests that suspension and expulsion can lead to weakened social and school bonds (Butler-Barnes and Inniss-Thompson 2020;Watson 2016) and a greater likelihood of repeating a grade or dropping out of school (Balfanz et al 2014), thus increasing the chances for juvenile/criminal justice system involvement (George 2015). Ultimately these mechanisms can cause long term adverse circumstances including, but not limited to low wage work, homelessness, higher rates of interpersonal violence, lowered health outcomes, and low SES (Crenshaw 2015;Smith-Evans et al 2014).…”

“…A good portion of literature related to the discipline gap focuses on Black girls in high school or high school students generally (Balfanz et al 2014;Butler-Barnes and Inniss-Thompson 2020;Carter Andrews et al 2019;Kupchik 2009;Lei 2003;Mizel et al 2016;Parks et al 2016;Rollock 2007;Smith and Martin 2017;Wallace et al 2008;Watson 2016;Wun 2016 a, b). Although it is to be expected that exclusionary discipline is more utilized at the high school level, research suggests that disciplinary consequences spike at the middle school level and tend to drop off later in high school (Mendez and Knoff 2003;Slate et al 2016).…”