Caring in the Context of Discipline Reform: A Framework for Researchers and Policymakers

Abstract

Concern about harsh and inequitable discipline over the past two decades has galvanized a host of discipline reforms. These reforms have gained renewed attention in recent months as both the COVID-19 pandemic and mass uprisings against anti-Black violence have both bolstered calls to reimagine schools as caring spaces. This moment raises urgent questions about how researchers and policymakers should understand care in practice. In this review essay, I draw together recent research on discipline reform, as well as care feminism and key insights from critical policy analysis, to develop a conceptual framework for centering “care” in the current reform context. Using this critical-feminist care framework, I highlight the relations, experiences, systems, and ideologies that shape care in practice. I conclude with implications for researchers and policymakers.