Punishing Latina/o Youth: School Justice, Fairness, Order, Dropping Out, and Gender Disparities

• NCJ Number: 252376
• Author(s): Anthony A. Peguero, Jennifer M. Bondy, Zahra Shekarkhar
• Date Published: January 2017
• Length: 28 pages
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Award: Social Bonds Across Immigration Generations and the Immigrant School Enclave

Annotation

This study drew from the Educational Longitudinal Study and used multilevel modeling to analyze the relationships among school justice, fairness, order, dropping out, and gender disparities for 1,800 Latina/o and 6,300 White public school students.

Abstract

Although Latina/o youth are among the fastest growing segments of the U.S. population, they face a number of educational hurdles, such as disproportionate school punishment and increased risk of dropping out of high school. This topic is particularly relevant today in the midst of the current social, political, and economic debate over the “school-to-prison pipeline.” The findings of the current study suggest that school punishment is contributing to Latina/o youth dropping out of school; however, it is also evident that improving school justice and fairness can ameliorate the risk of dropping out for Latina/o youth. The significance and implications of justice, fairness, and order for Latina/o youth within the United States school system are discussed more generally. (Publisher abstract modified)