Continued Disparate Discipline: Theorizing State Takeover Districts’ Impact on the Continued Oppression of Black Girls

The state takeover of schools in predominantly Black communities has not disrupted the racial subjugation of Black girls. Using proportional analyses and Detroit, Memphis, and New Orleans as research sites, we find that the takeover of school districts does not produce statistically weaker associations with the use of harsh disciplinary practices against Black girls. This finding is important in the context of education reform, as researchers begin to question the motives and outcomes of education reforms. Moreover, this study is important to literature that considers the civil rights that Black communities must forego for the promise of better schools. Finally, this finding is relevant to extant conversations in urban education, especially as those conversations consider the school-to-prison pipeline and disparate disciplinary outcomes for Black girls.