The History of "Zero Tolerance" in American Public Schooling

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Focusing on the Los Angeles city school district from the 1950s to the 1970s, Judith Kafka examines how race, politics, and bureaucratic organization influenced schooling. She highlights the centralization of discipline control, shaped by various stakeholders like teachers, parents, and politicians, responding to historical pressures. Kafka argues that the racial inequities seen in current school discipline policies are not fixed or inevitable, revealing the complex dynamics that have led to these outcomes.