During the 2022-23 school year, IDRA’s Youth Advisory Board student research team led a mixed-methods research project to examine the intersections of culturally responsive education and school discipline in Texas public schools. IDRA’s four student researchers, Manav Lund, Kennedy Moore, Josué Peralta de Jesús, and Shreya Selvaraju, were members of IDRA’s Youth Advisory Board in 2022.
Grounded in youth participatory action research (YPAR) as the guiding framework, this study employed mixed-method research methodologies to assess student peers’ perspectives through a survey and focus group interviews at student researchers attending high schools in central and north Texas.
Student researchers recruited 47 students, grades 9-12, from their respective high schools to take the online survey and recruited 15 students to voluntarily participate in three 60-minute virtual focus group interviews. Additionally, students analyzed campus-level discipline data from the Texas Education Agency from 2021-22 to explore trends in punitive discipline at their respective campuses.
While the study The Intersections of Culturally Responsive Education and School Discipline – A Youth Participatory Action Research Case Study of Texas Public Schools did not establish a strong causational or correlational link between these aspects, it uncovered valuable insights through survey-based and interview-based research conducted across various Texas regions, including Austin, Frisco and San Antonio. The study showed that students are concerned about weak attention to incidents of race- and identity-based discrimination in school. They call for an education that reflects cultural sensitivity and inclusivity. By leveraging these insights, educators and policymakers can work collectively to foster a more inclusive, equitable, and supportive educational environment for all students.
News
See study release announcement: Texas Student Researchers Call for Inclusive Learning in the Wake of Censorship Era Policies – IDRA Releases Report on Student Views of School Discipline and Culturally Responsive Education, September 5, 2024
See related article: IDRA Youth Advisory Board Members Study Culturally Responsive Teaching and School Discipline, by Christina Quintanilla-Muñoz, M.Ed., February 2024
The student research team presented highlights from their study during IDRA’s virtual José A. Cárdenas School Finance Fellowship symposium in May 2023.
Student Researcher Comments
“Our results aren’t simply statistics they are individual students who are affected by discriminatory practices.” – Josué Peralta de Jesús
“We live in society that loves the concept of being colorblind and ignoring the integral parts of culture and identity in their students. The resistance to not having these conversations plays into a climate of non-responsiveness and inaction.” – Kennedy Moore
“Without student voices and student testimonies you lose pinnacle insight on ways to improve issues and miss the opportunity encourage students in taking authority and agency in their own communities.” – Shreya Selvaraju
“You are uncovering something that’s previously been unexplored, and you are solving a problem. That’s something that really got me into research.” – Manav Lund
