Abstract
This study examines the effect of student trust on discipline, behavior and academic outcomes, and how this varies based on race and gender. Trusting students have fewer disciplinary incidents, and better outcomes in high school. However, the reward of positive trusting relationships has the most return for White students. Black students benefit less from trust, and Black males far less. Findings also point to a disturbing pattern of racial bias rippling throughout the system. Regardless of their level of trust, Black males are disciplined more and the discipline has a higher penalty on high school outcomes. Black males, with identical disciplinary histories and scores on achievement tests, have poorer academic outcomes than comparable white students.