The University of Delaware School of Education (SOE) colloquium series continues on Wednesday, Nov. 2, with a presentation on “Addressing Racial Disparities in Disciplinary Outcomes” by Akisha Jones, Harvard Strategic Data Project Fellow at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University and a UD alumna.

Research has shown that black students in American schools have historically been referred and suspended at disproportionately higher rates than their white peers. Jones’ presentation will examine the disparate outcomes in American schools as well as some of their root causes including implicit bias among educators, racist disciplinary policies and practices in schools, and a lack of school resources to support students’ needs and engagement.

The presentation will highlight the approaches taken by a large urban school district to reduce the disparities in disciplinary outcomes.

The colloquium presentation will begin at 1 p.m. in 207 Willard Hall Education Building. A discussion with the speaker will follow the presentation at 2 p.m. 

Students, faculty and community members with interests in education, educational policy, diversity, equity, and inclusion are encouraged to attend. This event is free, and no advance registration is required. 

For more information about the colloquium series and upcoming speakers, visit the School of Education 2016-17 colloquium series.

About the speaker

Akisha Jones, an alumna of the University of Delaware, is a Harvard Strategic Data Project fellow at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University. As a fellow, she serves as a researcher and evaluator in Guilford County School District in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Her current work focuses on understanding racial disparities in disciplinary outcomes in the district and finding ways to lessen these disparities. She also leads research projects in support of the districts strategic plan goals.

Coming from a legacy of urban educators, Jones is passionate about using research and data to improve education, teaching, and student outcomes in urban contexts and among underserved populations.

Jones earned her doctorate in education with a specialization in evaluation, measurement and statistics from the University of Delaware in 2015. In 2014, she received an American Educational Research Association (AERA) Dissertation Grant.

She also holds a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in African diaspora and a master’s degree in educational research methods from the University of Michigan.