A Gap in Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Coverage? A Critical Policy Analysis of States’ School Discipline Policies

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 highlights the importance of teachers employing CRCM to reduce their reliance on punitive discipline approaches, which are disproportionally skewed against students of color, there exists a gap between educational research and educational policies concerning the use of CRCM in schools. We employed a critical policy analysis to determine the existence of CRCM in student code-of-conduct policies, across all 50 states. Our findings highlight an absence of CRCM in states’ policies, and limited support for the incorporation of CRCM 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.