"Hear Me Out:" Elementary Black Students’ Experiences with Exclusionary Discipline And the Racial Discipline Gap

This qualitative study investigated the experiences and the impact of the racial discipline gap on upper elementary Black students. It also examined their insights and suggestions on how to mitigate this systemic inequity that results in the overrepresentation of Black students in exclusionary discipline beginning in early childhood education and impacting their educational trajectory and life. In order to preserve student voice, the interviews were analyzed and coded using structural coding and in vivo coding. The findings reflect how these upper elementary Black participants incurred differential treatment in various ways that resulted in negative academic, emotional, and social effects. As schools look for ways to decrease suspensions and expulsions by implementing interventions such as PBIS and Restorative Justice Practices, findings suggest the need to build an awareness of differential treatment of Black students and to evaluate structures in schools that result in punitive consequences. The findings also suggest the importance of providing voice and choice to our Black students, which can include Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and increased opportunities for them to feel heard. Participants also indicated resilience strategies they utilize to cope when dealing with negative experiences. Counternarratives developed from these interviews as all the student participants shared how they enjoyed learning and wanted to learn. Based on the findings, this dissertation shares the implications and recommendations for educators, schools, and future research to further decrease the inequities resulting from the racial discipline gap