Education not Incarceration: A Conceptual Model for Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disproportionality in School Discipline

Kent McIntosh, Erik J. Girvan, Robert H. Horner, & Keith Smolkowski, Education not Incarceration: A Conceptual Model For Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disproportionality in School Discipline, 5 J. APPLIED RES. ON CHILD. 4 (2014)

23 Pages Posted: 25 Apr 2015

See all articles by Kent McIntosh

Kent McIntosh

University of Oregon - College of Education

Erik James Girvan

University of Oregon School of Law

Robert Horner

University of Oregon - College of Education

Keith Smolkowski

Oregon Research Institute

Date Written: December 31, 2014

Abstract

Extension of retribution- and incapacitation-based criminal justice policies and practices to schools has exacerbated racial and ethnic disproportionality in school discipline, a serious and unsolved threat to equity in education and social opportunity. Common approaches implemented to reduce discipline disproportionality have not been shown to be widely effective. A more comprehensive, theory-driven understanding of the factors associated with disproportionate discipline is needed to enhance equity. In this article, we propose a conceptual model of how racial and ethnic bias affects school discipline, with direct implications for practical interventions. The model includes a multidimensional view of bias, informed by research from the field of social psychology, with multiple points identified for intervention to reduce disproportionality over time. The authors conclude with a proposed multicomponent intervention that builds on a foundation of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS) and includes specific strategies for reducing the effects of explicit and implicit bias on school discipline decision making.

Keywords: School-to-prison pipeline, disproportionate discipline, implicit bias

Suggested Citation

McIntosh, Kent and Girvan, Erik James and Horner, Robert and Smolkowski, Keith, Education not Incarceration: A Conceptual Model for Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disproportionality in School Discipline (December 31, 2014). Kent McIntosh, Erik J. Girvan, Robert H. Horner, & Keith Smolkowski, Education not Incarceration: A Conceptual Model For Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disproportionality in School Discipline, 5 J. APPLIED RES. ON CHILD. 4 (2014) , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2598212

Kent McIntosh

University of Oregon - College of Education ( email )

Corvallis, OR
United States

Erik James Girvan (Contact Author)

University of Oregon School of Law ( email )

1515 Agate Street
Eugene, OR Oregon 97403
United States
541 346-8934 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://law.uoregon.edu/faculty/girvan/

Robert Horner

University of Oregon - College of Education ( email )

Corvallis, OR
United States

Keith Smolkowski

Oregon Research Institute ( email )

1776 Millrace Dr.
Eugene, OR 97403
United States
5414842123 (Phone)
5414841108 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.ori.org/

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