One of the most complex and persistent issues in the field of education is the disproportionate number of students of color who are subject to exclusionary discipline and referral to special education. Despite a corpus of promising literature on culturally responsive teaching and classroom management, the predominantly White, female, middle-class…

Research indicates that early school success influences eventual life chances and that attentiveness in the classroom contributes to early school success. Using ethnographic fieldnotes, interviews, short surveys, and video footage collected over three school years, I investigate how teachers and young students experience "attentiveness" during…