Bridging the Cultural Divide: Examining the Impact of Teacher Bias and Cultural Misunderstandings

Cultural differences and biases have led to minority students underachieving in the classroom. Coupled with a disproportionate number of minorities receiving discipline placements than non-minority students, this has led to increased dropout rates among students of color. This study examines how teachers and administrators respond to minority students when certain behaviors are exhibited in the classroom and how educator bias can influence the students' discipline placement. Instruction by the certified teacher in the original classroom offers the best opportunity for students to learn, Janke et al. (2022) so every effort to keep students in this setting is crucial to student success. The concern is whether minority students are treated differently from non-minority students when it comes to discipline referrals and discipline placement. In this study of criterion-based secondary teachers, participants must have had at least 40% of their students from minority groups in their classes during the 2025-2026 school year. This design-based research was mixed-method and offered several advantages, particularly when exploring complex social phenomena and understanding subjective experiences. The findings provide insight into how bias affects response in the educational setting. This research enhanced teachers' and campus administrators' social and cultural awareness, ultimately reducing the number of restrictive educational placements (REPs) for minority students.