Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science
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Perspect Psychol Sci · May 2016
ReviewA Vicious Cycle: A Social-Psychological Account of Extreme Racial Disparities in School Discipline.
Can social-psychological theory provide insight into the extreme racial disparities in school disciplinary action in the United States? Disciplinary problems carry enormous consequences for the quality of students' experience in school, opportunities to learn, and ultimate life outcomes. This burden falls disproportionately on students of color. ⋯ This approach is more comprehensive than accounts in which the predicaments of either teachers or students are considered alone rather than in tandem, it complements nonpsychological approaches, and it gives rise to novel implications for policy and intervention. It also extends prior research on bias and stigmatization to provide a model for understanding the social-psychological bases of inequality more generally.