DESIGNING MEETINGS TO DEVELOP A PLAN OF ACTION TO SUPPORT BLACK MALES ENABLED CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS REGARDING ISSUES OF RACE

Abstract

There are major student discipline disparities in schools because Black males are referred to the office and suspended at an alarming rate. They are referred for a multitude of reasons, related to teacher misconceptions, their educational environment, and domestic issues. For this reason, I worked to design a series of meetings that enabled a team to develop a plan of action to reduce students’ undesired behaviors and their underlying causes. An inquiry and action process served as a foundation for the meetings. I observed the meetings and conducted participant interviews for the purpose of refining the process. Meetings were altered based on our critiques. Ultimately, the series of meetings was designed in a specific way that allowed participants to seek data from primary sources, conduct a more in-depth study, and develop a better plan of action. Astonishingly, I realized that these meetings also produced conversations that enabled increased consciousness regarding issues of race, particularly as it pertains to Black males. Analysis of interview and observational data found that meeting processes facilitated participants’ abilities to stay engaged, speak with increasing openness regarding issues of race, feel discomfort while addressing difficult topics, and realize that further work is needed to support Black male students. These attributes resulted in more constructive conversations. Taking everything into account, by developing a refined meeting structure, meeting participants held constructive conversations and developed a plan of action with the goal of reducing the rate of office discipline referrals written for Black male students.