The Grammar of School Discipline: Removal, Resistance, and Reform in Alabama Schools

The Grammar of School Discipline examines how school discipline policies and practices constitute a particular grammar, tracing the removal of Black students to the antebellum construction of Blackness as criminal, deviant, and deserving of punishment. It highlights the agency of students and practitioners and explores specific reform efforts, emphasizing that even the most well-intentioned reforms are limited when the removal of students remains an option. The authors call for educational stakeholders to repair the harms inflicted on students and communities and move towards repairing the damage that white supremacy inflicts on everyone's humanity.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 226 pages
Publication date: 15 March 2023
Publisher: Lexington Books

The Grammar of School Discipline: A Nuanced Landscape of Anti-Black Foundations
School discipline policies and practices in Alabama have a long history of being shaped by anti-Black foundations. The removal of Black students from schools can be traced back to the antebellum construction of Blackness as criminal, deviant, and deserving of punishment. This narrative has been perpetuated through various policies and practices, including zero-tolerance policies, suspensions, and expulsions.

The authors of The Grammar of School Discipline examine how these policies and practices constitute a particular grammar: Removal, Resistance, and Reform. They use numeric data and portraits of students and school practitioners to detail a nuanced landscape of school discipline in Alabama.

One of the key findings of the book is that the removal of Black students can be traced to the antebellum construction of Blackness as criminal, deviant, and deserving of punishment. This narrative has been perpetuated through various policies and practices, including zero-tolerance policies, suspensions, and expulsions. The authors argue that this narrative has had a profound impact on Black students and their families, leading to a range of negative outcomes, including academic failure, social exclusion, and mental health issues.

To address these issues, the authors propose a focus on resistance. They argue that students and practitioners exercise agency despite anti-Black removal. This agency can be seen in the ways that students and practitioners resist policies and practices that they believe are harmful to their students.

One of the most significant reform efforts in Alabama has been the implementation of restorative justice practices. Restorative justice practices involve bringing together students, teachers, and community members to address conflicts and harm. The authors argue that restorative justice practices can be effective in addressing the negative outcomes of school discipline, but they are limited when the removal of students remains an option for practitioners.

The authors end with an appeal to educational stakeholders to repair the harms that these anti-Black policies and practices inflict on students and communities. They argue that white supremacy has inflicted damage on everyone's humanity, and that it is essential to work towards repairing the damage that it has caused.

In conclusion, The Grammar of School Discipline: A Nuanced Landscape of Anti-Black Foundations is a powerful book that examines how school discipline policies and practices in Alabama have a long history of being shaped by anti-Black foundations. The authors use numeric data and portraits of students and school practitioners to detail a nuanced landscape of school discipline in Alabama. They propose a focus on resistance and appeal to educational stakeholders to repair the harms that these anti-Black policies and practices inflict on students and communities.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781793601773