Project Grant 2217177

This National Science Foundation Project Grant of $240,524 awarded on March 1, 2022 to Smith College will fund research understanding disciplinary approaches in school settings. The grant is part of NSF's Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences program (CFDA 47.075) to promote basic research in these fields.

Specifically, the grant will examine traditional and emerging discipline approaches commonly employed in schools through mixed methods including student focus groups, surveys, and staff interviews. The research aims to understand how different approaches operate together and are perceived by students and authorities, with a focus on youth perspectives on issues of school safety, fairness and justice. Findings will be disseminated to inform scholars, educators, and policymakers.

A $50,000 subaward was also provided to Loyola University Chicago to support graduate research assistants overseeing data collection in Chicago-area schools in partnership with the primary awardee, Smith College. The subaward will allow both qualitative and quantitative data to be gathered on student and staff views of discipline practices to achieve the grant's goals.