Black girls are 4.19 times more likely to get suspended than white girls – and hiring more teachers of color is only part of the solution

Race, class and gender can not only impact the education that students receive, but also the punishments they receive. Courtney Hale/iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

Andrea Joseph-McCatty is an assistant professor at the College of Social Work at the University of Tennessee. Her research examines disproportional school suspensions and, in particular, the ways in which inequity impacts the experiences of students of color. Below are highlights from an interview with The Conversation. Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Dr. Andrea Joseph-McCatty discusses her research on understanding and addressing racially disproportional school suspensions.