The school-to-prison pipeline is just as much a social justice issue as it is a complex sociological problem. Since in-school discipline is largely at the discretion of teachers and administrators, a lack of cultural competence in school discipline can lead to minority students becoming marginalized in the classroom.

Huy Gia Han Vu conducted a study expanding this concept of Social Capital. Since teacher engagement is the primary driver of social capital in schools, in the context of Vu’s study, teacher-student relationships set the tone for in-school engagement and long-term development outside the classroom. To effectively mitigate the disproportionate impact of in-school discipline on minority students, Vu’s study confirms the need for culturally competent training.

Educators must learn to engage with students so that disciplinary measures are holistically relevant. By implementing offense-based approaches and avoiding stigmatized labels that ostracize students, training can address discipline disparities at the source, disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline.