Is Teacher Implicit Bias Associated With The Discipline Disparity Between Black And White High School Students?

As the discipline disparity continues between White students and Black students it is important for educators to understand the why behind the disparities. It is important to understand the reasoning behind the disparities in order to enact policies or change policies that will help to eliminate the disparity. This study aimed to determine if a teacher’s implicit bias was associated with disciplinary action between White students and Black students. High school teachers in Michigan, whose schools showed a disproportionality in discipline between Black students and White students were surveyed. The findings of the study determined that while teachers did have an implicit bias against Black students, the implicit bias was not associated with disciplinary action between Black students and White students