Off-campus WSU users: To download campus access dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your WSU access ID and password, then click the "Off-campus Download" button below.
Non-WSU users: Please talk to your librarian about requesting this dissertation through interlibrary loan.
Access Type
WSU Access
Date of Award
January 2022
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ed.D.
Department
Educational Leadership and Policy
First Advisor
Carolyn Shields
Abstract
ABSTRACT
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP AND THE ROLE IT PLAYS IN THE EQUITABLE DISCIPLINE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS
by
Ericka K. Watson December 2022
Committee Chair: Dr. Carolyn ShieldsMajor: Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Degree: Doctor of Education
African American students are suspended and expelled at a rate three times higher than their same aged white peers. This disparity causes African American students to be removed from school and they are unable to continue to make academic progress as their same aged white peers. The removal from school of African American students also slates them to potentially become a high school dropout and enter the school to prison pipeline. According to Wald and Losen (2003) “adult prisons and juvenile halls are riddled with children who have traveled through the school to prison pipeline. 68% of prison inmates in 1997 had not completed high school” (p.11). School leadership plays an essential role in the discipline of African American students because they render the discipline in schools. The purpose of this study was to explore some of the underlying reasons for the discipline disproportionality of African American students. This study explored how outcomes may be associated with the intersection of structures and policies with the individual experiences, perceptions, and training of school administrators. The key findings of this study indicated that school leaders use the student code of conduct when making disciplinary decisions because they have flexibility in the amount days to render. Equity must be clearly defined by the district so that all school leaders look at it through a similar lens and use it to transform the culture and climate of their buildings. School leaders struggled to articulate how their White privilege has affected how they lead and make disciplinary decisions. School leader preparation programs as a whole have not equipped school leaders with the tools they need to address the issues in their schools around race, white privilege, and biases.
Recommended Citation
Watson, Ericka Kay, "School Leadership And The Role It Plays In The Equitable Discipline Of African American Students" (2022). Wayne State University Dissertations. 3788.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/3788