Olayinka Alege and J. Howard Johnston present a policy brief on zero-tolerance policies in US schools. They discuss how recent studies show that Hispanic and dark-skinned students are more likely to receive out-of-school suspensions for the same misconduct as white classmates, indicating racism. School administrators' and teachers' mindsets, as well as student diversity and gender, influence these discriminatory disciplinary practices. The authors argue schools should ensure equality and avoid discrimination based on gender, race or creed to improve student achievement and performance.

1. OLAYINKA ALEGE | YINKA ALEGE | TACKLING
EQUITY IN DISCIPLINARY PRACTICES

2. IF YOU HAVE LITTLE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE
ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICIES IN U.S. SCHOOLS,
YOU WILL AT VERY LEAST KNOW THAT THIS AREA
IS HISTORICALLY A HOT TOPIC. OLAYINKA ALEGE,
ALONG WITH J. HOWARD JOHNSTON, PRESENT:
“POLICY BRIEF: EDUCATIONAL POLICY
INFORMATION CENTER” TO ELABORATE ON THESE
POLICIES AND THEIR ASPECTS. THEY TRIED TO
COMBINE THE REASONS BEHIND THE POLICIES,
THEIR IMPLEMENTATION, AND THE RESULTS OF
THESE POLICIES.

3. OLAYINKA ALEGE STATED THAT IN A RECENT
STUDY (2014), RESEARCHERS DOCUMENTED THAT
HISPANIC AND DARK-SKINNED HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE BEING A
TARGET OF OUT-OF-SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS FOR
THE SAME MISCONDUCT AS THEIR WHITE
CLASSMATES. THIS IS AN INDICATION OF THE
DEGREE OF RACISM PREVALENT IN MANY
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES.

4. HE ALSO DISCUSSES THE FACTORS THAT NOT
ONLY INITIATE, BUT ALSO ACCELERATE THESE
PRACTICES. A SIGNIFICANT REASON FOR THESE
EXCLUSIONARY MEASURES AT SCHOOLS IS THE
MINDSET OF THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR AND
TEACHERS IN CHARGE OF SUCH DECISIONS, THE
MAKE-UP OF AND ALSO THE STUDENT BODY’S
DIVERSITY. FURTHERMORE, HE STATED THAT
GENDER WAS ALSO A MAJOR FACTOR IN SUCH
DECISION-MAKING PRACTICES IN SCHOOLS AND
DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE RACE OF THE
STUDENTS.

5. THE WRITERS TRIED TO PREACH EQUALITY AMONG ALL
THE STUDENTS, NO MATTER WHAT GROUP OR CREED
THEY BELONG TO. THE SCHOOLS SHOULD BE CLEARED
OF EVERY KIND OF DISCRIMINATION – BE IT GENDER
DISCRIMINATION OR CREED DISCRIMINATION. ALL
STUDENTS SHOULD BE TREATED THE SAME WITH NO
DISCRIMINATORY TREATMENT COMING FROM THE
SCHOOL STAFF. NO ONE SHOULD BE MADE TO FEEL
EMBARRASSED OR INSECURE BECAUSE OF THEIR
COLOR.
YINKA ALEGE

6. CONSIDERING PAST BEHAVIORAL PRACTICES,
THIS TELLS US THAT EXCLUSIONARY PRACTICES
WERE VERY COMMON IN FORMER DAYS. THE
MOST SIGNIFICANT INDICATION OF THESE
PRACTICES WAS REFLECTED IN THE FORM OF
LOW STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND BAD SCHOOL
PERFORMANCE. STUDENTS WERE ALWAYS
INSECURE, BECAUSE A MINOR MISTAKE COULD
CAUSE SUSPENSION FROM THE SCHOOL.

7. GENDER DISCRIMINATION WAS PRACTICED IN SCHOOLS.
MALE STUDENTS WERE MORE LIKELY TO GET HARSH
PUNISHMENT RESULTING IN SUSPENSION FROM
SCHOOL AS COMPARED TO FEMALE STUDENTS.
PERHAPS LESS SURPRISINGLY, STUDENTS WITH
DARKER COMPLEXION WERE AT HIGHER RISK:
TEACHERS USED TO PUNISH DARKER STUDENTS MORE
EASILY FOR MISTAKES WHILE LIGHT-SKINNED STUDENTS
WERE MORE LIKELY TOLERATED FOR THE SAME
INCIDENT. IT COULD WELL BE THE WORST THING EVER
FOR A DARKER STUDENT TO SEE SUCH BIASED
BEHAVIOR ON THE PART OF TEACHERS AND THE
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION.

8. OLAYINKA ALEGE , ALONG WITH J. HOWARD
JOHNSTON, SUGGESTED IN THEIR WORK THAT
SHIFTING THE FOCUS FROM A DEFICIT-BASED
PERSPECTIVE TO A DEVELOPMENTAL AND
EDUCATIONAL APPROACH CAN SAVE FUTURE
GENERATIONS FROM POOR LEADERSHIP AND
DISCRIMINATION.