To improve school climate and discipline, teacher diversity and experience matter

By Jenna Somers

Two recent studies by researchers at Vanderbilt University and New York University offer valuable insights for practitioners, policymakers and researchers seeking to address persistent racial inequities in school discipline. The studies examined teacher and student perceptions of school climate, the heterogeneity and experience of school personnel, and disciplinary outcomes for students. Both studies found that teacher diversity and experience were associated with positive perceptions of school climate and lower rates of exclusionary discipline.

“Our findings suggest the need for a multifaceted approach to promote a positive school climate given the importance of school climate in reducing racial disparities in exclusionary discipline,” said Richard Welsh, co-author of the studies, author of  the forthcoming book, Suspended Futures: Transforming Racial Inequities in School Discipline, associate professor of education and public policy at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development, and founding director of The School Discipline Lab.

“Diversifying the educator workforce is a key part of the equation, but we also need to invest in evidence-based solutions that empower teachers and school leaders with training in discipline-relevant topics such as cultural responsiveness, classroom management and student relationship-building,” Welsh said.

School climate, teacher characteristics, and school discipline: evidence from New York City

The first study, published by AERA Open, examined the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of school climate, teacher characteristics, and school discipline outcomes in more than one thousand New York City public middle and high schools. The researchers found several factors were associated with lower rates of exclusionary discipline, overall and especially for Black and Latino students:

• Teachers’ perceptions of a more positive school climate
• Having more Black and veteran teachers in school
• Teachers’ commitment to their school and career and their perceptions of working at a safe school

Surprisingly, teachers’ perceptions of strong school leadership were associated with increased suspension rates within schools, suggesting that beliefs about effective leadership are complex and may be tied more to a principal’s willingness to enact exclusionary discipline practices than hold teachers responsible for managing student behavior in the classroom.

Examining student perceptions of school climate, school personnel, and school discipline: evidence from New York City

The second study, published in the Journal of School Psychology, examined the relationship between student perceptions of school climate and school personnel, using student response data from the New York City School Survey from 2011-2019. The researchers found that students’ perceptions of school climate were shaped more by teachers than school leaders and varied by students’ race, gender, and disability status:

• Black students—especially Black male and Black special education students—were more likely to have negative perceptions of school climate.
• Teacher experience was associated with more positive student perceptions of school climate, but teacher and school leader turnover were associated with more negative perceptions. That said, Black and Latino students with more experienced teachers had worse perceptions of school climate, whereas white students had more positive perceptions based on teacher experience.
• Although school personnel diversity was negatively associated with students’ perceptions of school climate, evidence suggest that Black and Latino students had a more positive association between school personnel diversity and school climate.

Advice for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers

To promote a positive school climate and in turn reduce the prevalence of and disparities in exclusionary discipline, the research team offer the following suggestions:

For practitioners and policymakers:

• Support pre-service experiential learning, in-service professional development, and coaching for novice teachers that focuses on relationship-building and classroom management.
• School psychologists could assist teachers in implementing positively oriented classroom management strategies and lead a review of office disciplinary referral and suspension procedures for students with disabilities.
• Address teachers’ emotional exhaustion, including through organizational structures that promote instructional autonomy, work-life balance, and professional learning communities.
• Diversify the teacher workforce and retain educators of color.
• Focus on specific ways to support Black students, especially those with disabilities, coordinating with Black students, educators, and families.

For researchers:

• Explore the link between teachers and school discipline outcomes while considering students’ intersectional identities (e.g., race and ethnicity alongside gender and disability).
• Examine the role and prominence of school discipline related topics such as classroom management in teacher preparation programs.
• Investigate how teachers’ diversity and experience may help to reduce disciplinary disparities and why teachers’ diversity is valued by students of color—but not by white students—in shaping school climate perceptions.
• Build understanding of the drivers of teachers’ perceptions of school climate, including the degree to which perceptions of school safety and discipline may reflect teachers’ biases.
• Study the roles of school psychologists, guidance counselors and social workers in supporting teachers, promoting a positive school climate and reducing discipline disparities.