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Developing a Framework for Curtailing Exclusionary Discipline for African-American Students with Disruptive Behavior Problems: A Mixed-Methods Approach

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Abstract

Using a mixed-methods approach in a predominantly African-American school district, a set of qualitative studies were conducted to establish priority areas for school-based interventions to curtail the use of exclusionary practices with African-American students exhibiting disruptive behavior. Study 1 employed concept-mapping methodology with a focus group of 11 key stakeholders—teachers, school counselors and administrators—and generated five potential target areas, as well as ratings of their perceived importance and feasibility. These target areas included: social-emotional supports, parental involvement, academic support/pedagogy, policies and staff, and community linkages. Study 2 involved phone interviews with 10 parents of students placed in an alternative school setting in the same school district, and a retrospective review of their children’s school records. Triangulated data were used to develop a conceptual framework to understand the use of exclusionary discipline with troubled students and to guide intervention development in this community.

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Notes

  1. Concept-mapping analysis and results conducted using The Concept System® Global MAX™ software: Concept Systems, Inc. Copyright 2004-2020; all rights reserved.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a research initiation grant to the first author from Virginia State University, and a grant to Lehigh University and the Center for Adolescent Research in Schools from the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education (Grant No. R324C080011), and by a sub-award from Lehigh University to Miami University and the Center for School-Based Mental Health Programs (Grant No. G01549). The contents of this manuscript do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education and do not imply endorsement by the Federal Government. The authors would like to thank the school staff and parents who made this work possible, and Joshua Caven for his editorial assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 806 West Franklin Street, PO Box 842018, Richmond, VA, 23284-2018, USA

    Zewelanji N. Serpell

  2. Department of Psychology, Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA, USA

    Trakita Wilkerson

  3. Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA

    Steven W. Evans

  4. Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Melissa Nortey-Washington

  5. Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    Rhonda Johnson-White

  6. Department of Psychology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA

    Carl E. Paternite

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  1. Zewelanji N. Serpell
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All procedures, questionnaires as well as the retrospective chart review involving human participants adhered to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethics approval was granted by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Virginia State University.

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Serpell, Z.N., Wilkerson, T., Evans, S.W. et al. Developing a Framework for Curtailing Exclusionary Discipline for African-American Students with Disruptive Behavior Problems: A Mixed-Methods Approach. School Mental Health 12, 661–676 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-020-09380-z

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