{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/140023"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/140023","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"\"Behind Closed Doors\": Identity and Influence in State-Level Legislative Decision-Making on School Discipline","abstract":"This thesis critically examines state-level legislative decision-making in Virginia, New York, and Texas, with a particular focus on school discipline reform. Specifically, it explores the extent to which the race and gender of state legislators correlate with policy decisions concerning disciplinary practices in public education. Through a rigorous analysis of legislative actions and policy outcomes, this study interrogates the role of \"diversity, equity, and inclusion\" as a mechanism for addressing systemic inequities within a multicultural society. Through an observational study of three states, this thesis reveals how legislative priorities shape school discipline policies, thereby highlighting the importance of cultivating a diverse and representative state legislature. It argues that increased legislative diversity can serve as a critical tool in dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline and mitigating systemic disparities within public education.","abstract_html":"This thesis critically examines state-level legislative decision-making in Virginia, New York, and Texas, with a particular focus on school discipline reform. Specifically, it explores the extent to which the race and gender of state legislators correlate with policy decisions concerning disciplinary practices in public education. Through a rigorous analysis of legislative actions and policy outcomes, this study interrogates the role of "diversity, equity, and inclusion" as a mechanism for addressing systemic inequities within a multicultural society. Through an observational study of three states, this thesis reveals how legislative priorities shape school discipline policies, thereby highlighting the importance of cultivating a diverse and representative state legislature. It argues that increased legislative diversity can serve as a critical tool in dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline and mitigating systemic disparities within public education.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Barnes, Jordan Isaiah"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Political Science","degree_department":"Political Science","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Kitchens, Karin E."],"committee_members":["Brunsma, David L.","Faulkner, Brandy S."],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-12-17","date_published":"2025-12-17","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:53Z","subjects":["descriptive representation","substantive representation","zero-tolerance bills","school-to-prison pipeline","legislative decision-making"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International"],"rights_urls":["http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:45490"],"render_values":[{"text":"vt_gsexam:45490","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10919/140023","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Kitchens, Karin E."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Brunsma, David L.","Faulkner, Brandy S."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Political Science"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Barnes, Jordan Isaiah"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-12-18T09:01:11Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-12-18T09:01:11Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025-12-17"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Political Science"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["descriptive representation","substantive representation","zero-tolerance bills","school-to-prison pipeline","legislative decision-making"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:45490"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/140023"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis critically examines state-level legislative decision-making in Virginia, New York, and Texas, with a particular focus on school discipline reform. Specifically, it explores the extent to which the race and gender of state legislators correlate with policy decisions concerning disciplinary practices in public education. Through a rigorous analysis of legislative actions and policy outcomes, this study interrogates the role of \"diversity, equity, and inclusion\" as a mechanism for addressing systemic inequities within a multicultural society. Through an observational study of three states, this thesis reveals how legislative priorities shape school discipline policies, thereby highlighting the importance of cultivating a diverse and representative state legislature. It argues that increased legislative diversity can serve as a critical tool in dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline and mitigating systemic disparities within public education."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstractgeneral","label":"General Abstract","values":["This thesis takes a close look at how state lawmakers in Virginia, New York, and Texas make decisions about school discipline policies and whether factors like race and gender influence those decisions. It explores whether having a more diverse group of legislators leads to fairer and more effective discipline policies in public schools. By examining real legislative actions, this thesis highlights how \"diversity, equity, and inclusion\" can be useful tools for addressing social challenges in a diverse society. This thesis looks at school discipline reform efforts in Virginia, New York, and Texas, and the role of state lawmakers in shaping these policies. It argues that having a more diverse group of legislators can help address disparities in school discipline and reduce the harmful effects of the School-to-Prison Pipeline, ultimately making public education more fair and just for all students."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Arts"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["ETD"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["\"Behind Closed Doors\": Identity and Influence in State-Level Legislative Decision-Making on School Discipline"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Kitchens, Karin E."],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Brunsma, David L.","Faulkner, Brandy S."],"dc:contributor.department":["Political Science"],"dc:creator":["Barnes, Jordan Isaiah"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-12-18T09:01:11Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-12-18T09:01:11Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025-12-17"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis critically examines state-level legislative decision-making in Virginia, New York, and Texas, with a particular focus on school discipline reform. Specifically, it explores the extent to which the race and gender of state legislators correlate with policy decisions concerning disciplinary practices in public education. Through a rigorous analysis of legislative actions and policy outcomes, this study interrogates the role of \"diversity, equity, and inclusion\" as a mechanism for addressing systemic inequities within a multicultural society. Through an observational study of three states, this thesis reveals how legislative priorities shape school discipline policies, thereby highlighting the importance of cultivating a diverse and representative state legislature. It argues that increased legislative diversity can serve as a critical tool in dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline and mitigating systemic disparities within public education."],"dc:description.abstractgeneral":["This thesis takes a close look at how state lawmakers in Virginia, New York, and Texas make decisions about school discipline policies and whether factors like race and gender influence those decisions. It explores whether having a more diverse group of legislators leads to fairer and more effective discipline policies in public schools. By examining real legislative actions, this thesis highlights how \"diversity, equity, and inclusion\" can be useful tools for addressing social challenges in a diverse society. This thesis looks at school discipline reform efforts in Virginia, New York, and Texas, and the role of state lawmakers in shaping these policies. It argues that having a more diverse group of legislators can help address disparities in school discipline and reduce the harmful effects of the School-to-Prison Pipeline, ultimately making public education more fair and just for all students."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Arts"],"dc:format.medium":["ETD"],"dc:identifier.other":["vt_gsexam:45490"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/140023"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"],"dc:subject":["descriptive representation","substantive representation","zero-tolerance bills","school-to-prison pipeline","legislative decision-making"],"dc:title":["\"Behind Closed Doors\": Identity and Influence in State-Level Legislative Decision-Making on School Discipline"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Political Science"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:53Z"}