Racial Fairness, School Engagement, and Discipline Outcomes in African American High School Students: The Important Role of Gender

School Discrimination, Discipline Inequities, and Adjustment Among Black Adolescent Girls and Boys: An Intersectionality‐Informed Approach

“…Oftentimes, they are able to recognize that the discipline they or peers experience is incongruent with their behaviors. While exclusionary disciplinary practices (i.e., out-ofschool suspension, expulsion) have ironically not been associated with improvements in students' behaviors or increased safety in schools (Skiba & Losen, 2016), these practices have been associated with decreased academic performance (Morris & Perry, 2016) and engagement (Griffin et al, 2020), school dropout (Lee, Cornell, Gregory, & Fan, ;Noltemeyer, Ward, & Mcloughlin, 2015), and detriments to psychological functioning (Griffin et al, 2020). In their study of Black high school students, Griffin et al (2020) found that discipline referrals were negatively related to emotional engagement (i.e., sense of school belonging and value for education) for girls and behavioral engagement (i.e., attention to academic and classroom tasks) for boys.…”

Black Girls and School Discipline: The Role of Teacher’s Race, Pubertal Development, and Discipline Philosophy on Discipline Decisions

“…Perceptions of racial fairness also associated with school engagement have significant implications on students’ feelings of belonging (Debnam et al, 2014; Griffin et al, 2017) and the behavioral outcomes of Black students (Mattison & Aber, 2007). Students who perceive being treated unfairly by teachers and school administrators typically lack interest in learning and display low levels of school belongingness (Griffin et al, 2020), increasing the likelihood that these students will exhibit deviant and problem behaviors (Way, 2011). As a result, Black students, notably Black girls, receive office discipline referrals, perpetuating a reciprocating cycle of self-fulfilling prophecy (Griffin et al, 2020).…”

“…Students who perceive being treated unfairly by teachers and school administrators typically lack interest in learning and display low levels of school belongingness (Griffin et al, 2020), increasing the likelihood that these students will exhibit deviant and problem behaviors (Way, 2011). As a result, Black students, notably Black girls, receive office discipline referrals, perpetuating a reciprocating cycle of self-fulfilling prophecy (Griffin et al, 2020).…”

Black Adolescent Boys’ Perceived School Mattering: From Marginalization and Selective Love to Radically Affirming Relationships

“…These stereotypes inform why stakeholders value Black boys and young men more for their assumed physical or entertainment prowess and less for their intellectual promise (Azzarito & Harrison, 2008; Howard, 2014). When Black boys internalize racist and gendered stereotypical treatment, it may result in devastating consequences such as distress and depressive symptoms (Seaton, Caldwell, Sellers, & Jackson, 2008; Sellers, Caldwell, Schmeelk‐Cone, & Zimmerman, 2003), diminished school engagement (Buckley, 2018; Griffin, Metzger, Halliday‐Boykins, & Salazar, 2020; Smalls et al., 2007), and a decreased likelihood to persist in school (Bell & Puckett, 2020; Wong, Eccles, & Sameroff, 2003).…”