Rhetorical Analysis of “Rethinking School Discipline” by Rachel Cohen

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October 10, 2022
Rhetorical Analysis of “Rethinking School Discipline” by Rachel Cohen
Introduction
The current policy on discipline is the major cause for the “school-to-prison pipeline” that
unduly targets students of color and Hispanics. There is a connection between school discipline
policies and the criminal justice system that disenfranchises blacks and Hispanics. This paper is a
rhetorical analysis of Rachel Cohen’s “Rethinking School Discipline.” The paper will be
organized into the following sections: claim, ground, warrant, backing, qualifier and rebuttal. A
conclusion will summarize the analysis. The author targets the both the general and education
stakeholders to inform and persuade respectively.
The Claim
“Rethinking School Discipline” by Rachel Cohen is published by American Prospect in
the Fall 2016. The author makes the claim that “zero tolerance” as a policy of punitive discipline
in American schools has failed and disproportionately targets blacks and Hispanics. Discipline
consists of expulsions, suspensions, and arrest that are based in the school that collectively shove
students into crime (Cohen). The current policy on discipline is the major cause for the “school-
to-prison pipeline” that unduly targets students of color and Hispanics (Cohen). The author
targets the general public to inform them of the current school discipline policies. The author
addresses stakeholders in the education sector and persuades them of the need to embrace
reforms such as the move from punitive to restorative justice.

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The Grounds
The author states that between 1972 and 2009, there was an increase of 40% in the
number of high school students expelled or suspended over the course of school calendar year
(Cohen). Data from the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights shows that students of
color had a 3.8 likelihood of getting suspended out-of-school: this applied even to preschoolers.
Drawing from the National Center for Education Statistics, Cohen shows that by 1997, 94% of
all schools had adopted zero-tolerance policy for possessing firearms, 87% for alcohol, and 79%
for tobacco possession. A study by Texas A&M University showed that school expulsions and
suspensions increased the risk of getting involved with the juvenile system of justice and
dropping out of learning.
In addition, Cohen shows using data federal data that 70% of all school-based arrests
targeted students of color or Hispanic. Data from the Vera Institute of Justice reveals that
between 1996-1997 and 2007-2008, the number of full-time police officers and security guards
employed in public high schools tripled (Cohen). School-based arrests for non-violent offenses
targeted black and Hispanic students who were then suspended at three times the rate of white
students. The zero tolerance policy that serves as the foundation of punitive disciplinary
measures was shown to be ineffective in making schools safer or improving student behavior
according to a 2008 American Psychological Association report (Cohen).
The Warrant
Cohen makes the connection between school discipline policies and the criminal justice
system to show that the former contributes to the latter. School policies on discipline are punitive
instead of being restorative that seeks to “facilitate relationships and reconciliation” as proved in
the case of Hampstead Hill (Cohen). A school policy of discipline based on expulsions,

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suspensions, and arrests at school forms part of the “school-to-prison pipeline” where students
who get suspended have a higher risk of getting involved in crime (Cohen). The current policy
does not address the underlying issues faced by students that make them to misbehave in school.
Removing students does not improve discipline but negatively impacts school performance.
In addition, there is a linkage between resource allocation in school districts where blacks
are a majority that have, unqualified staff, inadequate funding, and overcrowded classrooms
(Cohen). The lack of resources for special education and funding for school counselors is the
starting point for the school-to-prison pipeline. Cohen asserts that students with disabilities and
those of color are pushed into the criminal and juvenile justice systems due to the lack of
education resources that would avail alternative forms of discipline in school. Cohen gives the
example of Hampstead Hill as a school that has adopted restorative justice as an alternative due
to its ability to employ a: “full-time psychologist, social worker, guidance counselor, family
therapist, and a director of restorative practice.”
The Backing
In the context, time, and place of “Black Lives Matter”, there is an increased awareness
that there is a connection between “the disproportionate discipline of black youths and the unfair
treatment of blacks by police officers” (Cohen). The increased killing of blacks by police officers
supports the assertion that school discipline based on zero-tolerance forms a part of the school-
to-prison pipeline. Cognizant of this fact after the killing of Freddie Gray, the American
Federation of Teachers formed a Racial Equity Task Force to come up with solutions that would
create schools environments supportive of black students and shift from zero tolerance policies
(Cohen). This is important since the year 2014-2015 marked a milestone in the American school
system where for the first time Caucasian students are the minority.