Exploring the Applicability of Group Threat Theory to School Disciplinary Policies and Practices

Abstract

As school policies have become more intolerant to all behaviors, albeit, violent or non-violent, the result has shown a shift in school practices that has adolescents being adjudicated into the juvenile justice system at alarming rates. The literature has consistently documented the arbitrary application of punishment to certain groups, outlining the importance of social and biographical positions in the organization of school discipline. This chapter attempts to embed social justice perspective in this analysis structured within the framework of group threat hypothesis. The arguments and tenets outlined in both perspectives are directly related to the decades-long problems highlighted in the literature around school disciplinary policies and practices and the disparate impact on minority students. The analysis within these frameworks is missing from the K-12 disciplinary school-to-prison pipeline debate and literature. This chapter will be helpful in adding more elements to the discussion and fill this gap in the literature.