black girls and school disciplinary mechanisms
abstract
this study explores the disproportionate discipline of black girls in ontario’s k-12
publicly funded schools. the current literature exploring racially disproportionate discipline and
the school-to-prison pipeline obscures the ways in which black females and males experience
this phenomenon together yet differently.
semi-structured narrative interviews were conducted with seven self-identified black
women who were able to provide retrospective reflections about their disciplinary experiences in
school. critical analysis of the data revealed inequitable disciplinary challenges for black girls
through educators’ lack of compassion, black girls’ hypervisibility in their schools, and distorted
self-perceptions regarding their voices. immediate interventions are required to address specific
disciplinary concerns for black girls. this study concludes with recommendations offered by
participants.