From Slow Reform to Meaningful Abolition: Exclusionary School Discipline and the Need for a New Paradigm
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| Title: | From Slow Reform to Meaningful Abolition: Exclusionary School Discipline and the Need for a New Paradigm |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Kathryn E. Wiley, John A. Williams III, Shavonne Simmons |
| Source: | Texas Education Review. 2025 13(1):215-233. |
| Availability: | Texas Education Review. Available from: University of Texas at Austin, George I. Sanchez Building, 1912 Speedway, Austin, TX 78705. Tel: 512-471-7551; Fax: 512-471-5975; e-mail: txedreview@utexas.edu; Web site: https://review.education.utexas.edu/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 19 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Descriptors: | Discipline, African American Students, School Policy, Policy Formation, Educational Change, Discipline Policy, Models, Racism |
| ISSN: | 2329-5724 |
| Abstract: | In this essay, we draw on the extant literature to demonstrate the entrenchment of a "reform" paradigm in school discipline policy, research, and practice. We argue that the slow pace of school discipline reform has not served Black children and youth and compels a stronger stance on ending exclusionary discipline once and for all. So long as exclusionary discipline is a viable option for school administrators and teachers, it will be used to the detriment of Black children and youth. What is needed instead is a new paradigm, one focused on the total end, or abolition, of exclusionary practices. Disentangling from current discipline policy and practice will be no small feat and requires legislative changes primarily at the state and federal levels. On the precipice of a return to harsher discipline policies, it is imperative to maintain the progress won in recent years while pushing for the end of exclusionary discipline altogether. Implications of an abolitionist school discipline paradigm in policy, research, and practice are addressed. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1463602 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | In this essay, we draw on the extant literature to demonstrate the entrenchment of a "reform" paradigm in school discipline policy, research, and practice. We argue that the slow pace of school discipline reform has not served Black children and youth and compels a stronger stance on ending exclusionary discipline once and for all. So long as exclusionary discipline is a viable option for school administrators and teachers, it will be used to the detriment of Black children and youth. What is needed instead is a new paradigm, one focused on the total end, or abolition, of exclusionary practices. Disentangling from current discipline policy and practice will be no small feat and requires legislative changes primarily at the state and federal levels. On the precipice of a return to harsher discipline policies, it is imperative to maintain the progress won in recent years while pushing for the end of exclusionary discipline altogether. Implications of an abolitionist school discipline paradigm in policy, research, and practice are addressed. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2329-5724 |
