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Aaron Kupchik, "Suspended Education: School Punishment and the Legacy of Racial Injustice" (NYU Press, 2025)
Apr 13, 2025
Aaron Kupchik, a sociologist and author specializing in school punishment, dives into the troubling legacy of racial injustice in education. He reveals how suspension rates surged post-Brown v. Board of Education, serving primarily to exclude Black students from classrooms. Through Marcus's story, he highlights the implicit biases in school discipline. Kupchik calls for systemic reform, arguing that punitive measures harm not just students, but also their families and communities, demanding compassionate alternatives that promote engagement rather than exclusion.
27:43
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Quick takeaways
- Suspensions fail to improve student behavior and often exacerbate academic struggles, leading to long-term negative outcomes for affected students.
- The legacy of racial inequity and implicit bias in disciplinary practices results in disproportionately high suspension rates for Black students in schools.
Deep dives
The Ineffectiveness of School Suspension
School suspension has proven to be an ineffective method for behavior management and academic performance. Research shows that suspensions do not improve student behavior and can often lead to increased misbehavior upon their return to school. Teachers have noted that many disruptive behaviors stem from students not understanding the academic content, and suspensions only exacerbate the problem by removing students from a learning environment. This cycle leaves students further behind academically and at greater risk for future negative outcomes, such as dropping out or involvement in the criminal justice system.
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