Preventing the School-to-Prison Pipeline with a Few Research-Based Methods

The disproportionate discipline of students of color leads to many negative outcomes. The use of exclusionary school discipline contributes to this problem. This form of discipline has been shown to make students feel socially isolated and to prevent them from making academic progress. The causes of the disproportionate discipline of students of color involve a lack of teacher support and preparation, teacher misunderstandings, and the punitive systems often used in urban areas. Research on this topic reveals that certain practices would likely alleviate this problem. Some of these practices include implementing restorative discipline, providing better support for teachers, and hiring more teachers of color.