Description
Book SynopsisThe disturbing truth: school suspension does more than impede Black students'' academic achievementit also impacts their parents'' employment and can violate state and federal laws.
Finalist of the C. Wright Mills Award by the Society for the Study of Social Problems
Decades of urban disinvestment and poverty have made educational attainment for Black youth more vital than at any time in recent history. Yet in their pursuit of quality education, many Black families are burdened by challenging barriers to success, most notably the frequency and severity of school punishment. Such punishment is meant to be a disciplinary tool that makes schools safer, but it actually does the oppositeand is particularly harmful for Black students and their families.
Focusing on schools in inner-city and suburban Detroit, Charles Bell draws on 160 in-depth interviews with Black high school students, their parents, and their teachers to illuminate the negative outcomes that are
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction. The Battleground of Life
Chapter 1. The Burden of Punishment
Chapter 2. The Code of Violence
Chapter 3. Educator-Targeted Violence
Chapter 4. The Failure of School Safety Measures
Chapter 5. Failed Reforms and Black Educational Flight
Conclusion. Rethinking School Punishment and Safety
Appendixes
A. Methodology
B. Interview Guide
C. K–12 School Punishment Transparency Bill Proposal (Michigan House of Representatives, November 2020)
Notes
References
Index
