2025/02/06 by Wiley, Kathryn E., Williams, John A., Simmons, Shavonne
#abolition #black children #policy reform #school discipline
paper · doi:10.26153/tsw/58396
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.