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Author ORCID Identifier
Date Available
5-13-2022
Year of Publication
2022
Document Type
Capstone
Degree Name
Doctor of Social Work (DSW)
Faculty
Dr. Laura Escobar-Ratliff
Abstract
Two primary focuses of schools have been to educate and keep children safe. Although exclusionary discipline practices are and should be the last resort for dealing with safety in schools, research indicates that preschool-aged children are being expelled or suspended at rates that are at least three times that of children in grades K-12.
The central problem is why are Black children being disciplined disproportionately in early childhood settings? What are the identified risk factors because of exclusionary discipline for children in their early years? What are the identified protective factors that can be employed to help prevent the statistics from continuing to rise?
Viewing this phenomenon regarding race and racism is not new to literature. We are all aware of the arguments of whether exclusionary discipline has a racial component to it or not. The argument is not to prove whether race and racism play a role and how significant of a role does it play. Instead, these products look at race and racism as existing constructs. It also examines how Black families survive within these constructs and how they learned this survival method and how they teach this method of survival to subsequent generations.
Furthermore, these products examine these constructs and the need for survival from the perspective of attachment theory, where we can see how attachment is taught; intragenerational theory, where we can see how survival was learned; and critical race theory, where individuals from races other races can develop the skills necessary to understand the how and the why of Black family survival such as the recognition of implicit biases and empathy skill-building.
It is hypothesized that teaching attachment theory and critical race theory in higher education would better position future social work practitioners with a greater understanding of cultural competence. If taught regularly, social work practitioners could create protective factors and bridge the gap between students of color and their families and White teachers to prevent exclusionary discipline practices
Lastly, the focus is on interventions that educate educators on attachment and critical race theory in early childhood education. Understand the lasting impact of intragenerational trauma on children and families and how this trauma has adverse effects on attachment-related issues in institutions that continue to promote racial and discriminatory practices unconsciously. It is the hope that by learning from critical race theory and attachment theory that educators can develop a deeper, more harmonious understanding of how BIPOC families interact and are impacted by such discriminatory practices in institutions such as the educational system.
Recommended Citation
Ward, Phaecia, "Disproportionality in School Discipline: The use of critical race theory and attachment theory interventions in action" (2022). DSW Capstone Projects. 37.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/csw_grad_reports/37
