A Gap in Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Coverage? A Critical Policy Analysis of States’ School Discipline Policies
- Philip Young
- Oct 30
- 1 min read
A signature item that beleaguers most teachers is classroom management. Recognizing the futility of punitive classroom management within school discipline practices, Weinstein and colleagues forged culturally responsive classroom management (CRCM). While nearly 20 years of scholarship highlight the importance of teachers employing CRCM to reduce their reliance on punitive discipline approaches, which are disproportionately applied to students of color, there remains a gap between educational research and educational policies regarding the use of CRCM in schools. We employed a critical policy analysis to determine whether CRCM is included in student code-of-conduct policies across all 50 states. Our findings highlight the absence of CRCM in states’ policies and limited support for its incorporation
in schools and school districts. Ultimately, an opportunity awaits stakeholders (teachers, school districts, education preparation programs, and policymakers) to reform educational policies and the tools teachers can employ to affirm and sustain students’ learning environments.
