An analysis of educators sanctioned for misconduct

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the uncharted territory of disciplinary actions taken against educators for their misconducts. The study examines demographics of the educators who have committed various types of offenses to find out whether results are different than the findings in the criminal justice literature. Methods The data used in this study include all 582 educators who were disciplined for misconduct in the 2012–2013 school year in Texas. Various descriptive and significance tests were used to answer the hypotheses of this study. Results Some of the findings correspond with the findings of the criminal justice literature while others do not. Young, male, and black educators are more likely to offend. Contrary to the literature on “student discipline” and “criminal justice,” minority educators are not treated more harshly when they are disciplined. There are some offenses committed more often by younger, male, and those educators who have held their credentials for a shorter amount of time. Conclusion The results have raised many questions similar to the ones studied in the field of criminal justice. A new body of research needs to address questions such as discrimination and the constitutional rights of the accused and the victims.