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Does Student–Teacher Racial/Ethnic Match Impact Black Students’ Discipline Risk? A Test of the Cultural Synchrony Hypothesis

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Inequality in School Discipline

Abstract

Blake and colleagues utilize a unique panel dataset of over 900,000 students to test the Cultural Synchrony Hypothesis, which asserts that negative evaluations of Black students are influenced by media-driven stereotypes of Black adults. These stereotypes are thought to subconsciously shape educators’ perceptions of Black students. By examining the degree to which the faculty of a school mirrors the student body’s racial demographics, their analysis shows that the higher the student–teacher racial/ethnic congruence, the lower the risk of encountering school discipline. These findings are particularly robust for females and students of color. Given these results, they suggest a concerted effort to recruit teachers of color. Further, the authors propose professional development targeting cultural competency to prevent teachers from misperceiving the behavior of students of color.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Education & Human Development, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Jamilia J. Blake Ph.D., Danielle M. Smith M.Ed., Miner P. Marchbanks III Ph.D., Allison L. Seibert M.Ed. & Steve M. Wood Ph.D.

  2. University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Eun Sook Kim Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Jamilia J. Blake Ph.D.
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  2. Danielle M. Smith M.Ed.
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  3. Miner P. Marchbanks III Ph.D.
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  4. Allison L. Seibert M.Ed.
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  5. Steve M. Wood Ph.D.
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  6. Eun Sook Kim Ph.D.
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Evaluation and Education Policy School of Education, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA

    Russell J. Skiba

  2. The Atlantic Philanthropies, New York, USA

    Kavitha Mediratta

  3. Center for Evaluation and Education Poli, Indiana University Center for Evaluation and Education Poli, Bloomington, Indiana, USA

    M. Karega Rausch

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Blake, J.J., Smith, D.M., Marchbanks, M.P., Seibert, A.L., Wood, S.M., Kim, E.S. (2016). Does Student–Teacher Racial/Ethnic Match Impact Black Students’ Discipline Risk? A Test of the Cultural Synchrony Hypothesis. In: Skiba, R., Mediratta, K., Rausch, M. (eds) Inequality in School Discipline. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51257-4_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51257-4_5

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