The “racial discipline gap” has been documented in a report issued by
the Children’s Defense Fund, “School Suspensions: Are they helping children?” which first
identified the racial disparity of suspension rates in 1975. Early childhood educators must take a long
hard look into the mirror and honestly reflect on the question, “Am I
contributing to the racial discipline gap of exclusionary discipline
actions of Black children from my implicit bias and structural racism?”
Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz discusses
the archaeology of self where one
must dig deep in self-reflection and peel back layers from personal life
experiences via one’s implicit and explicit biases on children particularly
Black children. From the archaeology of self-philosophy, one
must continuously reflect on whether s/he is demonstrating verbal and/or
non-verbal racial microaggression that Black children are not capable to follow
rules, unruly, loud, aggressive, and so forth.
Early childhood educators, reverse your archaeology of self to see Black children in the lens of being bright,
smart, intelligent, curious, innovative, capable, celebratory of greatness, and
so much more. It is key to denote that early
childhood educators behavioral experiences, rules and classroom policies are
closely aligned with the norms found in White and middle-class values of
disposition taught in higher education formal coursework. And yes, some White teachers have reported
feeling less comfortable in their roles as disciplinarians of Black students than
Black teachers (Cooper, 2002).
Therefore, reinforcing an awareness of Black culture related to students
backgrounds it is an important component of students school success removing
the cradle to prison pipeline philosophy of doomed outlook for Black children.
Dr. Walter Gilliam and other
researcher conducted a study with 132 early childhood educators to view six
minutes video clips showed four children (Black boy, Black girl, White boy, White
girl) watching for behavioral problems.
It should be noted there were no behavioral problems; however, the eye
tracking technology used showed teachers spent more time watching the Black boy
than the other children. Yes, Black
children are suspended and/or expelled at higher rates (3.6 times) more than
their white age peers. If this statistic
does not reverse in changing the racial
discipline gap the documented projection of life is deemed to not
graduating from high school (dropout), high percentage of being in the criminal
justice system, and other factors that have determined Black children not
becoming productive citizens of society into adulthood. Early childhood educators need to gain a
deeper knowledge of Black culture as an example where students prepare
themselves for tasks by rearranging and checking materials which can be
perceived that Black student’s behavior is off-task and being deficient through
procrastination of directive given by early childhood educator (Gilbert and
Gay, 1989) which is not the case but their preparation state of mind for task.
Therefore, early childhood
educator’s your actions and reactions towards Black children must be equal and
equity along the same lines of fairness as given to their White age peers when
various aspects of discipline have been honed as appropriate or inappropriate. Working toward eliminating the racial
discipline gap,
early childhood educators are
required to implement multifaceted solutions based upon cultural classroom
management and their in-depth personal levels that undertake the breath, depth
and application of Black cultural experiences which are embedded toward effective
change grounded in one’s pedagogical discipline philosophy. Draw upon the Black
child’s home environment a key component in closing the racial discipline
gap discrepancies to reduce or eliminate the need to suspend or expel Black
children.
For the racial discipline gap to close and be dismantled early childhood
educators must be conscientious on their actions based on racial responses due
to implicit and explicit (verbal, non-verbal) biases towards Black children. Authentic dialogues are needed to acquire new
insights into Black culture that undergirds appropriate techniques to address
behaviors abandoning the norms using White, middle-class standards as benchmarks
for successful outcomes. Early childhood
educators revisit your pedagogical practices ensuring they are culturally
relevant with differentiating between disruptive behaviors and actions with
cultural roots whether responding with racial discipline to close and remove
100 percent the racial discipline gap for suspending and expelling Black
students 3.6 times more than their White peers.
References:
Children’s Defense Fund. (1975). School suspensions: Are they helping
children?
Cambridge, MA: Washington Research
Project. Civil Rights Project. (n.d.).
Cooper, P. M. (2002).
Does race matter? A comparison of
effective Black and
white teachers of African American
students in: J. J. Irvine (Ed.). In search of
wholeness: African American teachers and their
culturally specific classroom
practices (New York, Palgrave),
47-63.
Gilbert II, S. E., & Gay,
G. (1989). Improving the success in school of poor Black
children, in: B. J. R. Shade (Ed.). Culture, style, and the education process
(Springfield, IL, Charles C.
Thomas), 275-283.
Gilliam, W., Maupin, A. N., Reyes,
C. R., Accavitti, M., & Shic, E. (2016). Do
early educators’ implicit biases
regarding sex and race relate to behavior
expectations and recommendations of
preschool expulsions and suspensions?
Yale University Child Study Center.
Gilliam, W. S., & Shahar,
G. (2006). Preschool and child care expulsion and
suspension rates and predictors in
one state. Infants & Young Children, (19) 3,
288-245.
Sealey-Ruiz,
Y. (n.d.) Archaeology of self. Retrieved
at https://www.yolandasealeyruiz.com/archaeology-of-self
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