Differences in Disciplinary Consequence for Texas Middle School Boys as a Function of Ethnicity/Raceand Economic Status

Christopher Eckford, John R. Slate

Volume 16 Issue 8

Global Journal of Human-Social Science

Examined in this study was the degree to which differences were present in Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP) placements for Grade 7 and 8 boys in Texas as a function of their ethnicity/race and economic status. Texas statewide middle school discipline data were obtained from the Texas Education Agency Public Education Information Management System on all boys in the 2010-2011 school year. Inferential statistical procedures revealed the presence of statistically significant differences in JJAEP placements forboys in both Grades 7 and 8 as a function of their economic status and ethnicity/race. In both Grade 7 and Grade 8, Black boys had statistically significantly higher percentage of JJAEP placements than their White counterparts, 3 to 4 times higher. For Hispanic boys in Grades 7 and 8, they had a JJAEP placement rate that was 2 to 3 times higher than the JJAEP placement rate of White boys.