Can Teacher Collaboration Buffer Against a Reliance on Exclusionary Discipline? An Exploratory Study of Collegial Social Network and Functional Community Theories in New York City High Schools

This study investigates the association between teachers' perceptions of collaboration and the use of exclusionary discipline in New York City public high schools in 2017. We draw on the existing theories of collegial social networks and functional communities to explain how teachers work together to shape the school environment in which students experience discipline. Using multiple linear regression analysis, we found that teachers' perception of collaboration within their work environment was associated with lower rates of exclusionary discipline. Our results suggest that administrators could utilize the lever of teacher collaboration when trying to reduce the use of exclusionary discipline within schools. Additionally, programs aimed at providing alternatives to exclusionary discipline may benefit from greater explicit inclusion of collaborative practices.