1. Social Workers and Urban School Discipline: Do We Need a Time-Out?
- Author
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John A. Williams, Chance W. Lewis, and Sonyia C. Richardson
- Subjects
Time-out ,Health (social science) ,Sociology and Political Science ,Social work ,business.industry ,05 social sciences ,050301 education ,Public relations ,School discipline ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Sociology ,business ,0503 education ,050104 developmental & child psychology - Abstract
BackgroundSchool social workers are crucial in recommending alternative disciplinary practices to prevent suspensions and expulsions in schools (Cameron & Sheppard, 2006; National Association of Social Workers, 2013), particularly in urban school districts, which experience higher rates of discipline disproportionality between students of color and White students (Barrett, McEachin, Mills, & Valant, 2017).Objective/MethodsGrounded in an ecological systems perspective, the purpose of the study is to determine if the presence of a social worker predicts school suspensions by race and gender in an urban school district.FindingsKey findings show that the presence of school social workers has a negative relationship with school suspensions for students of color.ConclusionWe advocate for an increase in social worker representation in urban schools and strategic practices to address school discipline.
- Published
- 2019
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