Equity in Teachers’ Instructional and Discipline Practices by Student Race

Teacher instructional and behavioral management practices, including culturally responsive practices, have been shown to be associated with positive student outcomes. We collected classroom videos of 134 elementary school teachers in a rural school district and examined their practice rates (opportunities to respond [OTRs], praise, and corrections) disaggregated by perceived student race (Black and non-Black). We also analyzed how practice rates for each group were associated with the use of office discipline referrals (ODRs) and racial disparities in ODRs. We found teachers provided significantly lower rates of OTRs, praise, and corrections to Black students compared to their non-Black peers. We also found that for every group, corrections alone were linked to higher referral rates. No instructional practices were associated with racial disparities in ODRs. We discuss findings and implications of using disaggregated OTRs, praise, and behavioral corrections data as a systemic indicator of the presence of culturally responsive practices (CRPs). Impact Statement Teachers in rural elementary schools engaged Black students in significantly fewer OTRs, praise, and corrections than their non-Black peers, signaling missed opportunities for engagement and affirmation. Each additional correction predicted higher odds of ODRs for all students, and classrooms with more Black students showed disproportionately higher ODRs for this group. Findings highlight the urgent need to support intentional implementation of CRPs with disaggregated data to foster engagement and affirming classrooms.