Exploring Issues of Race and Equity in Early Education: A Closer Look at Teacher Perceptions and Child Exclusionary Discipline Experiences

This dissertation is comprised of three independent studies that each address gaps in the literature around racial discipline inequities in early childhood. Paper 1 investigated differing teacher perceptions of specific subtypes of disruptive behavior between Black and White children at preschool entry. Paper 2 gathered comprehensive and nuanced qualitative information about practices beyond suspension and expulsion that exclude young children from learning opportunities. Finally, Paper 3 examined whether racial discipline inequities extended to soft exclusionary discipline in preschool, as well as how experiences of soft exclusion were associated with children’s classroom engagement across the preschool year. Together, these studies contribute important considerations for research, policy, and practice efforts to eliminate racial inequities in early education.