Date of Award
2024
Degree Type
Restricted to Claremont Colleges Dissertation
Degree Name
Education, PhD
Program
School of Educational Studies
Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair
Talisa Sullivan
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Emilie Reagan
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Frances Gipson
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Darneika Watson
Terms of Use & License Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Rights Information
© 2024 Camani Smith
Keywords
Black Students, Culturally Relevant, Culturally Responsive, Culturally Sustaining, School to prison pipeline, Successful educators of successful black students
Subject Categories
African American Studies | Education | Race and Ethnicity
Abstract
Given that Black students have historically topped the charts for school suspensions and incarceration rates, unpacking how the classroom structure plays a part in this epidemic can help improve the school system as well as societal outcomes for other historically marginalized students. This study sought to identify what teachers believe (through their conceptions and philosophies) and what teachers enact in the classroom (through their visible teaching practices) that foster a successful learning environment for all students, and Black students in particular. Framed by Hammond’s (2015) Ready for Rigor framework, in this qualitative study, I interviewed and observed 15 high school teachers—those who self-identified with being committed to the success of Black students—about their conceptions about teaching, their teaching practices, and their disciplinary practices. After analyzing data from initial interviews, two observations, and a final interview with every participant, six themes emerged: (a) Serving a Bigger Calling, (b) Personal Professionals in the Village, (c) Race Ready, (d) Student Voice or Identity, (e) Second Home or Home Is Where the Heart Is, and (f) Flipping the Script. Together, these six themes captured teachers’ philosophies, conceptions, and teaching practices consistent with culturally sustaining practices. This study offers implications for policy, practice, and research as educators aim to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline in every classroom.
ISBN
9798382749303
Recommended Citation
Smith, Camani. (2024). Disrupting the School-to-Prison Pipeline for Black Students in Secondary Schools: Understanding Teacher’s Culturally Sustaining Pedagogical Practices. CGU Theses & Dissertations, 801. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/801.
