Context-based discrimination in school discipline

Numerous studies have documented racialized disparities in school disciplinary practices, with students from stigmatized racialized groups facing harsher punishment than their non-stigmatized peers. These disparities are often attributed to teachers' negative stereotypes. However, psychological theories have largely overlooked the impact of contextual factors, such as racialized segregation and the demographic composition of school environments, on teachers' decision-making processes. Drawing on ecological systems theory, we identify three gaps in the psychological literature on racialized disparities in school discipline: (1) the restricted focus on teachers’ interactions with individual students, (2) the neglect of superordinate contextual levels, and (3) the limited consideration of racialized segregation patterns. To address these gaps, we introduce a context-based discrimination model, which holds that the racialized composition of school settings (classrooms, schools, and surrounding areas) shapes teachers’ social categorization, stereotyping, and decision-making processes. We define context-based discrimination as the phenomenon whereby overall discipline rates between school settings systematically vary with their racialized composition. Crucially, effects of context-based discrimination may not be limited to students from stigmatized racialized groups, but may also affect non-stigmatized peers in a school setting. To understand how inequality is reproduced in educational settings, psychological science must investigate how structural context shapes teacher behavior.