Comparing Disciplinary Processes in North Carolina Charter and Traditional Public Schools

Abstract

In this paper, I utilized qualitative research methods to analyze North Carolina’s middle and high school charter disciplinary policies with a focus on three particular research areas.

What differences, if any, exist between disciplinary processes in North Carolina charter and traditional public schools?

How does implementation differ from the stated policies in each type of school?

How do patterns of variation in stated policies and their implementation vary between charter and traditional schools?

There were two components to my study. The first involved an analysis of the disciplinary processes employed by charters and their traditional counterparts. In order to examine processes, I began by reading and coding student codes of conduct for all middle and high school charters in the state. I also read and code student codes of conduct for 4 traditional public school districts: Durham, Mecklenburg, Orange and Wake County. The second component of my research involved an analysis of the implementation of the aforementioned processes. I conducted semi-structured interviews with select charter school and traditional public school administrators in the 4 counties. The interviews provided information on differences between processes and implementation and whether they varied across charters and traditional public schools.