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Full-Text Articles in Education

Defining Defiance: African-American Middle School Students’ Perspective On The Impact Of Teachers’ Disciplinary Referrals, Patricia Ray Jul 2015

Defining Defiance: African-American Middle School Students’ Perspective On The Impact Of Teachers’ Disciplinary Referrals, Patricia Ray

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to understand how African-American males enrolled in middle school in Los Angeles County experienced and understood the application of the California educational code regarding discipline. Disproportionate numbers of African-American students are being suspended and expelled from public schools. This overreliance on exclusionary punishment has led to the School-to-Prison Pipeline, and the statistics related to suspension rates from school mirror that of the criminal justice system. This study captures the voices of students who are consistently referred to the office by classroom teachers in order to understand how they perceive and articulate their experiences with …


Student, Parent, And Teacher Perceptions Of School Racial Climate In A Charter Middle School In South Los Angeles: A Microcosm Of Missed Opportunity, Joan Y. Wicks Apr 2015

Student, Parent, And Teacher Perceptions Of School Racial Climate In A Charter Middle School In South Los Angeles: A Microcosm Of Missed Opportunity, Joan Y. Wicks

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explores student, parent, and teacher perceptions of school racial climate and its impact on students’ academic and personal lives at a charter middle school in South Los Angeles. The study also explores teacher handling of the impact of racial tensions at this school with a majority Latin@ student enrollment and a predominantly Black teaching staff. School climate refers to the perceived quality of interpersonal interactions among teachers, students, staff, and parents. A positive school climate is associated with increased academic achievement and decreased disciplinary problems. Conversely, schools wrought with interethnic conflict or a poor racial climate …