When Teachers Punish Black Kids More Severely Than White Kids

Several years ago, Jason Okonofua, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, conducted an experiment on K-12 teachers. Two sets of teachers were given records about misbehavior from a student, but one group thought they were reading about a student with a stereotypically black name (Darnell or Deshawn), and the other group thought the student in question had a stereotypically white name (Greg or Jake). The teachers who read about Darnell or Deshawn expressed a desire to punish him more severely, were more likely to anticipate that he would be suspended in the future, and were more likely to believe he was a “troublemaker.”

“There’s a direct path between a student’s race and how severely the teacher will discipline them,” said Okonofua. This is not because black students have higher rates of misconduct than other students, but because—as Okonofua’s experiment suggests—they are disproportionately disciplined, particularly for more subjective offenses such as “disruptive behavior” or “disrespecting a teacher.” It’s also not because teachers come into the classroom intending to treat students of color differently than white students.