A new study by Assistant Professor Jing Liu and doctoral student Wenjing Gao finds that a small percentage of teachers is sending an outsized number of students to the principal’s office-- exacerbating racial disparities in education.
Considering his findings, Liu explains how his research findings can help close the racial discipline gap: “Teachers who have credentials in special education and English learners are less likely to be top referrers because they have more training about how to manage student behavior….Professional development, especially on classroom management, can be very helpful for early career teachers. I don’t think anyone would continue with excessive referring if they realized how much of an impact their referrals would have on their students.”
