Recommending Reform: A Critical Race and Critical Policy Analysis of Research Recommendations About School Resource Officers

School resources officers (SROs) have increasingly become a staple in United States K–12 schools, and research on their roles and efficacy is prevalent. However, policy recommendations, when left unexamined, may perpetuate majoritarian narratives that harm marginalized students. This project investi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Educational evaluation and policy analysis 2024-06, Vol.46 (2), p.358-384
Main Authors: Zabala-Eisshofer, Christine, Somerville, Kate, Wiley, Kathryn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Altruism
Critical race theory
Education policy
Narratives
Policy analysis
Reforms
Roles
School resource officers
Schools
Social justice
Students
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Summary:School resources officers (SROs) have increasingly become a staple in United States K–12 schools, and research on their roles and efficacy is prevalent. However, policy recommendations, when left unexamined, may perpetuate majoritarian narratives that harm marginalized students. This project investigates the majoritarian and counternarratives surrounding policy recommendations for SRO programs. Analyzing policy recommendations in 100 peer-reviewed articles, we find that most articles recommend reform or retention of SROs regardless of study findings—recommendations rooted in majoritarian narratives about the necessity and benevolence of SROs. Counternarratives, which view harm done to students as a potential reason to remove SROs entirely or reduce their use in schools, are much less common in the literature.
ISSN:0162-3737
1935-1062
DOI:10.3102/01623737231212168