The History of Zero Tolerance in American Public Schooling

Focusing on the Los Angeles city school district from the 1950s to the 1970s, Judith Kafka examines how race, politics, and bureaucracy shaped school discipline. She highlights the centralization of disciplinary control influenced by various stakeholders, including teachers and local politicians, at different times. Kafka argues that the racial inequities present in current school discipline policies are not predetermined and can be changed, revealing the complex historical dynamics that led to these outcomes.