http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/civilrightsprojectucla_rdsd/rss Recent eScholarship items from K-12 Racial Disparities in School Discipline Fri, 15 May 2026 12:55:38 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2pw440h5 Among the most critical pre-pandemic inequities that have not received sufficient attention is the fact that many districts are not meeting their legal and moral obligation to educate students with disabilities, which must include providing needed mental health services, behavioral supports and educationally sound interventions by well qualified staff. This report reveals serious pre-existing conditions of inadequate support that are likely to be exacerbated by the current pandemic, summarizes the pandemic’s disparate impact, which is resulting in greater losses of instructional time amidst increasing experiences of trauma, and argues for additional post-pandemic steps to ensure that all students with disabilities needing supports and services must receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to have those needs met, and that they are not excluded because of behaviors caused by their disability. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2pw440h5 Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Losen, Daniel J, JD Martinez, Paul Rim Shin, Grace Hae https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7xv434vq Many educators in California are unaware of just how harmful out of school suspensions can be. When suspended students are barred from attending school, more often than not, the rule broken was some form of minor misconduct. This update of "Lost Instruction Time in California Schools" demonstrates that despite the important efforts by the state of California to reduce suspensions, those efforts are seriously insufficient. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7xv434vq Tue, 16 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Flores, Ramon Losen, Daniel J https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5437259j UCLA Civil Rights Project’s Center for Civil Rights Remedies has collaborated with the Council of State Governments Justice Center (CSG Justice Center) to extract information from all 50 State Education Agency (SEA) websites and Washington, DC to compile publicly-reported school disciplinary data below. The findings are shown in the downloadable spreadsheet with summaries of student disciplinary data for each state. Information in the table was corroborated by SEA staff. Although most states offer additional data on disciplinary actions upon request, this web-based tool only uses data readily available to the public online. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5437259j Wed, 3 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Losen, Daniel J. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0wq1s982 UCLA Civil Rights Project’s Center for Civil Rights Remedies has extracted information from all 50 State Education Agency (SEA) websites and Washington, DC to compile publicly-reported school disciplinary data below. The findings are shown in the downloadable spreadsheet with summaries of student disciplinary data for each state. Information in the table was corroborated by SEA staff. Although most states offer additional data on disciplinary actions upon request, this web-based tool only uses data readily available to the public online. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0wq1s982 Wed, 3 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Losen, Daniel J https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7td9r8gq What we don’t know about school discipline and discipline disparities may be hurting the very students who most need a stable school life. The consequences of a suspension can be grave for any child, but the potential for causing extreme harm to foster and homeless youth is rarely considered by educators who punish these children by removing them from school. The uncertain living circumstances for these children are further destabilized when educators deny them access to school for breaking a school rule. The data on lost instruction due to out-of-school suspensions (OSSs) show that students with precarious living situations—foster and homeless youth of all racial/ ethnic groups—are punished far more than most other groups. This report provides a detailed review of how suspensions directly contribute to disparities in learning opportunities for students in these two groups, and along the lines of race and disability in every California school district. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7td9r8gq Tue, 31 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Flories, Ramon T Losen, Daniel J https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8kr718bx We hope this report will help to renew attention to the problem of excessive discipline. In keeping with this aim, we compare the projected full-year suspension rate for 2019-2020 to rates from prior years. We provide these projected suspension rates for the overall student population in California, and for every racial/ethnic subgroup at the state and district levels. We encourage education policymakers at the state and district levels to use the projections we provide in this report to distinguish districts that were on the path toward lower suspension rates from those on a path toward an increase or that showed no change. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8kr718bx Tue, 2 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Losen, Daniel J, J.D. Goyal, Shuchi Alam, Mahreen Salazar, Rogelio https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7hm2456z Lost Opportunities: How Disparate School Discipline Continues to Drive Differences in the Opportunity to Learn https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7hm2456z Thu, 15 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Losen, Daniel J, JD Martinez, Paul https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1x66c4n2 Is California Doing Enough to Close the School Discipline Gap? https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1x66c4n2 Mon, 20 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Losen, Daniel J. Martinez, Paul https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9d19p8wt This report examines only the data (students populations and paddling incidents) from schools where corporal punishment is used. The report relies on data from the U.S. Department of Education's Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), primarily from the 2013-14 school year. In schools where corporal punishment is practiced, black students and students with disabilities are more likely to be struck than white students and those without disabilities. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9d19p8wt Wed, 10 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000 Whitaker, Amir Losen, Daniel J https://escholarship.org/uc/item/50b4g9h1 In 2016-17, schoolchildren in California lost an estimated 763,690 days of instruction time, a figure based on the combined total of 381,845 in-school suspensions (ISS) and out-of-school suspensions (OSS). This is an updated report on CA suspension practice. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/50b4g9h1 Wed, 10 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000 Losen, Daniel J Martin, Kacy https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5wh4x276 Lost Instruction: The Disparate Impact of the School Discipline Gap in California https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5wh4x276 Thu, 2 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000 Losen, Daniel J Whitaker, Amir https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0x36s2wf The Hidden Cost of California's Harsh School Discipline https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0x36s2wf Thu, 20 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 Rumberger, Russell W. Losen, Daniel J. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8fb9x11w The Costs of High School Failure and School Suspensions for the State of California https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8fb9x11w Sun, 11 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Belfield, Clive R https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8cj0n19m The Economic Burden of High School Dropouts and School Suspensions in Florida https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8cj0n19m Sat, 10 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Belfield, Clive R https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9rw655w8 Students with disabilities are entitled by law to receive special education, which includes individualized supports and services, including behavioral supports if needed, to help them succeed in school. So it is especially disturbing that nationally, in 2011-12, their out-of-school suspension rate for grades K-12 was more than twice as high as their nondisabled peers. They are also more likely than their non-disabled peers to be suspended repeatedly.2 Furthermore, in 2011-12, across K – 12, the rates were much higher for students with disabilities who were Black and male, with one out of every five having been suspended at least once.   The data from different school levels (elementary, middle, and high) reveal even deeper disparities. For students with disabilities, the risk for suspension at the elementary school level is 4.1%. This rises to 19.3% at the secondary level.3 While students with disabilities are about twice as likely as their nondisabled peers to be suspended at... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9rw655w8 Tue, 1 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Losen, Daniel J Hodson, Cheri Ee, Jongyeon Martinez, Tia E https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9dh9k3bq It has been widely documented that the characteristics of behavior, students, and schools all make a contribution to school discipline outcomes. The purpose of this study is to report on a multilevel examination of variables at these three levels to identify the relative contributions of type of behavior, student demographic variables, and school characteristics to rates of and racial disparities in out-of-school suspension and expulsion. Results indicated that variables at all three levels made a contribution to the odds of being suspended or expelled. Type of behavior and previous incidents at the behavioral level; race, gender and to a certain extent SES at the individual level; and percent Black enrollment, school achievement levels, and principal perspectives on discipline at the school level all made a contribution to the probability of out-of- school suspension or expulsion. For racial disparities in discipline, however, school level variables, including principal perspective... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9dh9k3bq Tue, 1 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Skiba, Russell J Trachok, Megan Chung, Choong-Geun Baker, Timberly Sheya, Adam Hughes, Robin https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8mv1z75k Alternative school settings for students who are identified as “disruptive or dangerous” are playing an increasingly prominent role in the world of public education, yet significant gaps in our understanding of their efficacy remain. Despite mounting use of disciplinary alternative schools, the vast majority of urban districts report that the demands for enrollment space outweigh the supply. While in theory these schools exist to provide alternative learning environments for students deemed too disruptive for mainstream schools, the evidence suggests that promoting this approach with little to no regulation is having grave unintended consequences for many students. The increasing demands for disciplinary alternative schools is indicative of the wider pervasive problems of detrimental school discipline policies, the criminalization of misbehavior and the exclusion and segregation of students based on race, poverty and disability in the educational system. This longitudinal investigation... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8mv1z75k Tue, 1 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Vanderhaar, Judi E, Ph.D. Petrosko, Joseph M, Ph.D Muñoz, Marco A, Ed.D https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8855x4xk The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the extent to which Canadian students with Aboriginal status (i.e., Native American students) receive disproportionate levels of Office Discipline Referrals (ODRs) and more severe administrative consequences relative to students without Aboriginal status. The participants were all 1750 students in five British Columbia and Alberta elementary and middle schools implementing PBIS, with adaptations to be more responsive to Aboriginal culture. Binary multilevel logistic regression was used to determine to what extent disproportionality was present. Contrary to hypotheses, Students with Aboriginal status were no more likely to receive ODRs than students without Aboriginal status. Students with Aboriginal status were more likely, but not statistically significantly more likely, to receive suspensions and harsh administrative consequences from ODRs. Potential factors for these encouraging findings include the small sample, the... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8855x4xk Tue, 1 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Greflund, Sara McIntosh, Kent Mercer, Sterett H May, Seth L https://escholarship.org/uc/item/85m2m6sj School suspension rates have been rising since the early 1970s, especially for children of color. One body of research has demonstrated that suspension from school is harmful to students, as it increases the risk of retention and school dropout. Another has demonstrated that school dropouts impose huge social costs on their states and localities, due to lost wages and taxes, increased crime, higher welfare costs, and poorer health. Although it is estimated that reducing school suspension rates in Texas would save the state up to $1 billion in social costs, only one study to date has linked these two bodies of research. The current study addresses some of the limitations of that study by (1) estimating a stronger causal model of the effects suspension has on dropping out of school, (2) calculating a more comprehensive set of the social costs associated with dropping out, and (3) estimating the cost of school suspensions in Florida and California, and for the U.S. as a whole. The... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/85m2m6sj Tue, 1 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Rumberger, Russell W Losen, Daniel J https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7zc0c135 Nearly 15% of students are disciplined in a given year, with 60% of students being disciplined at-least once between grades 7 through 12. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of school discipline contact on students’ risk for grade retention and school dropout using a statewide sample of 7th grade students tracked through their 12th grade year. Results indicate that school discipline is associated with approximately 4,700 grade retentions per year in the state of Texas. The delayed workforce entry related to grade retention has an effect of over $68 million for the state, including $5.6 million in lost tax revenue. Given the higher discipline rate for minorities, these costs disproportionately affect them. Further, the additional year of instruction costs the state nearly $41 million dollars. For each year an individual student is retained the effect on the net social surplus exceeds $23,000. Results also indicate that school discipline relates to a 29% increase... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7zc0c135 Tue, 1 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Marchbanks, Miner P, III Blake, Jamilia J Booth, Eric A Carmichael, Dottie Seibert, Allison L Fabelo, Tony https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7wc935jg Our study examined the relationship between the Native American community’s recommendations for improving outcomes for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students and school level practices in Oregon. We merged data on teacher practices from the 2009 National Indian Education Study (NIES) with data reflecting disciplinary exclusions. Our unweighted sample consisted of 40 elementary schools, 40 middle schools, &lt;10 high schools, and 10 K-8/12 schools. Results indicated that the majority of teachers did not participate in recommended professional development nor did they integrate Native culture into instruction. Although correlations between participation in professional development and use of Native culture were significant, linear regression outcomes indicated no significant association between school level practices and disciplinary exclusion patterns of AI/AN students. Follow-up analyses of K-8/12 schools, which had the lowest rates of disciplinary exclusions for AI/AN... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7wc935jg Tue, 1 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Vincent, Claudia G Pavel, Michael CHiXapkaid Sprague, Jeffrey R Tobin, Tary J https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6n84676s This chapter will address the excessive use of suspensions and other disciplinary actions against Black males who are disengaged from school. Academically disengaged students often come to school late, miss assignments, have difficulty understanding schoolwork, and may have attentional challenges or alternative learning styles. Black males can become disengaged from school for a variety of reasons, including being dissatisfied with school because of noninclusive curricula, racial biases, and poor relationships with teachers. In addition, some Black males are not socialized to the academic environment due to unclear and inconsistent messages about school from home and the community. Finally, some Black males have learning or attentional disabilities that are misunderstood or misdiagnosed. Research suggests that academically disengaged students account for the majority of all suspensions. This study will examine responses of students, parents and teachers who completed Monitoring... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6n84676s Tue, 1 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Toldson, Ivory A McGee, Tyne Lemmons, Brianna P https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6kw7w8s8 School suspensions and expulsions resulting from zero tolerance disciplinary policies have directly expanded the “school-to-prison pipeline” while disproportionately and negatively affecting minority students. This paper reviews current research on zero tolerance, evidence for the effectiveness of restorative justice in schools as an alternative to punitive disciplinary policies, and local and national policy efforts to increase use of restorative practices in schools. The evidence shows that RJ is viable school policy strategy for keeping students in school while also useful for redefining the collaborative role of justice professionals and educators in the school setting to keep youth in school and out of juvenile justice systems. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6kw7w8s8 Tue, 1 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Schiff, Mara, Ph.D. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/65x5j31h This report, along with the companion spreadsheet, provides the first comprehensive description ever compiled of charter school discipline. In 2011-12, every one of the nation’s 95,000 public schools was required to report its school discipline data, including charter schools. This analysis, which includes more than 5,250 charter schools, focuses on out-of-school suspension rates at the elementary and secondary levels. The report describes the extent to which suspensions meted out by charter schools for each major racial group and for students with disabilities are excessive or disparate. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/65x5j31h Tue, 1 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Losen, Daniel J Keith, Michael A, II Hodson, Cheri L Martinez, Tia E https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4sq993qd This study is based upon a longitudinal analysis of data for a cohort of 181,897 Florida state students who were first time 9th graders in the 2000-01 school year and follows them trough to high school and post-secondary outcomes. Analysis of 9th grade suspension data finds that black students, students who are economically disadvantaged, and special education students are three demographics subgroups that are disproportionately suspended, both in the frequency of suspensions and the duration in number of school days lost. While poverty and ethnicity are themselves highly correlated, poverty alone does not explain the disproportionate suspension rates amongst black students. Further analyses show that out-of-school suspensions in the 9th grade year are also significantly and negatively correlated to later high school graduation as well as post-secondary enrollment and persistence. Thus demographic disparities in disciplinary incidents serve to further widen any academic achievement... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4sq993qd Tue, 1 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Balfanz, Robert Byrnes, Vaughan Fox, Joanna https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4pw0d5n8 This study used merged data from three national surveys to address questions about security measures in American high schools, suspension rates, and student misbehavior. First, the study identified the characteristics of schools that implemented the most extreme security measures and those with the highest levels of discipline. Second, the study used data on individual students to examine misbehavior and race and gender disparities in suspensions not attributable to misbehavior. The main findings were: (1) In-school suspensions serve a ‘gateway’ function with regard to out-of-school suspensions. They may provide a time and place to address behavior problems before they escalate or disproportionate out-of-school suspensions before they occur; (2) Out-of-school suspensions were more frequent among schools in higher-crime neighborhoods. Thus students suspended may be relegated to an environment not conducive to positive educational or social outcomes; (3) African-American students... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4pw0d5n8 Tue, 1 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Finn, Jeremy D Servoss, Timothy J https://escholarship.org/uc/item/46c8z6z2 Based on analysis of discipline referrals for infractions and the content of written discipline policies as part of a larger study of Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) at the high school level, we argue that district-administered school discipline policies need to be better aligned with prevention-oriented practices, such as SWPBS and must integrate alternatives to suspension, particularly for minor behaviors, such as tardies. SWPBS focuses on teaching expected behaviors to the entire student population, but our findings are that these practices are not aligned with discipline policies, even in schools that received professional development and technical assistance in SWPBS implementation as part of a larger funded project.Hierarchical linear modeling techniques indicated that, on the average, African-American and Latino(a) students and males in our sample were the most likely to generate discipline referrals to the office across the ten high schools that were included... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/46c8z6z2 Tue, 1 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Fenning, Pamela Pigott, Therese Engler, Elizabeth Bradshaw, Katie Gamboney, Elizabeth Grunewald, Stephanie Haque, Tamanna Flannery, K. Brigid Kato, Mimi McGrath https://escholarship.org/uc/item/35z7c5sh We merged data on the extent to which middle schools implemented school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) with data on disciplinary exclusions occurring in those schools across a period of 3 years. We conducted descriptive and multivariate analyses of variance to examine if (a) SWPBIS can be implemented with fidelity in middle school settings, (b) SWPBIS implementation is associated with reductions in disciplinary inequity, and (c) changes in disciplinary inequity vary with the proportion of students from low socio-economic and non-White backgrounds. Analysis of intervention fidelity data indicated that schools implemented the core features of SWPBIS based on training and support provided. Based on descriptive outcomes SWPBIS implementation was associated with (a) overall lower rates of ISS, the least severe form of disciplinary exclusion; (b) overall high rates of truancy, especially for AI/AN and Hispanic students; (c) some reductions in disciplinary... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/35z7c5sh Tue, 1 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Vincent, Claudia G Sprague, Jeffrey R Gau, Jeff M https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2x35t1tf In this study we use the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (Add Health) dataset to evaluate the long-term influence of school discipline and security on political and civic participation. We find that young adults with a history of suspension in school are less likely than others to vote and volunteer in civic activities after high school, suggesting that suspension negatively impacts the overall likelihood that youth will engage in future political and civic activities. Though Black and Hispanic students suffer negative long-term effects of school suspension far more frequently than others, the results suggest that the intensity of the effect of suspension is consistent across racial/ethnic groups. Overall, these findings are consistent with prior theory and research highlighting the long-term negative implications of punitive disciplinary policies and the salient role schools play in preparing youth to participate in a democratic polity as adults. We conclude... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2x35t1tf Tue, 1 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Kupchik, Aaron Catlaw, Thomas J https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2mx8c60x School safety is a pressing issue in urban schools. Yet, there is little research that shows why schools vary in safety and whether school practices mediate the influence of neighborhood characteristics. Using a unique dataset on Chicago Public Schools, this study examines the internal and external conditions associated with students’ and te achers’ reports of safety, showing that factors under the school’s control – their social and organizational structure – mediate the external influences of crime, poverty, and human resources in students’ residential communities. In particular, the quality of relationships between school staff, students and parents define safe schools in Chicago. In contrast, frequent use of suspensions is associated with less safe environments, even when comparing schools serving students with similar backgrounds. The findings from this paper point to the important role that school leaders and personnel can play in fostering safe school environments for students,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2mx8c60x Tue, 25 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Steinberg, Matthew P Allensworth, Elaine Johnson, David W https://escholarship.org/uc/item/18h2929c This paper presents two studies of the Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines, which is a systematic method for schools to respond to student threats of violence without resorting to zero tolerance suspension. The first study reports secondary analyses from a randomized controlled trial which previously reported that students attending schools using the Virginia Guidelines were less likely to receive a long-term suspension (Odds Ratio = .35) than students attending control group schools using a zero tolerance approach (Cornell, Allen, &amp; Fan, 2012). The secondary analyses found no difference in the impact on White versus Black students, which means that both racial groups benefitted from the intervention. The second study examined the scaled-up implementation of the Virginia Guidelines in Virginia public schools using a retrospective, quasi-experimental design. Schoolwide annual suspension rates were compared in 971 schools that chose to adopt the Virginia Guidelines... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/18h2929c Tue, 25 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Cornell, Dewey, Ph.D. Lovegrove, Peter, Ph.D. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0d4807x3 Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, I examine the prevalence and intensity of suspension among nationally representative samples of white, black, and Hispanic youth attending secondary school during the late 1990s and follow their educational and criminal justice outcomes for roughly a decade after K-12. Consistent with prior research in individual states and districts, I find that suspension has become a common feature of the U.S. schooling experience, affecting more than one in three youth and resulting in substantial missed instructional time across K-12 (a total of one to two weeks for the typical suspendee). As with prior research, disparities by race and gender are large, with black boys suspended most frequently and most intensely: fully two in three are suspended at some point during K-12, and nearly one in five is suspended for a full month of school or more. Following youth into early adulthood, I find that suspension is highly correlated... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0d4807x3 Tue, 25 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Shollenberger, Tracey L https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0c39d30h Researchers Responses to Critiques of Our Study, "Charter Schools, Civil Rights and School Discipline: A Comprehensive Report." https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0c39d30h Tue, 25 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Losen, Daniel J. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2d18x1jb In California, almost 40% of European American adults hold a BA degree, as do 23% of African Americans and 48% of Asians. &nbsp;However, only 11% of adult Latinas/os hold a BA degree or higher. Given that the majority of the school age population in the state is now Latina/o, this undereducation is not just an urgent problem, but foreshadows economic disaster for California.&nbsp; https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2d18x1jb Tue, 7 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Gándara, Patricia Oseguera, Leticia Pérez Huber, Lindsay Locks, Angela Ee, Jongyeon Molina, Daniel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/65w0k9tm This report describes the most current state and district suspension rates, and covers both trends and racial disparities in the use of suspension in California. A spreadsheet accompanying this report enables any reader to find their own district’s most recent disaggregated data, as well as three- year trends for out-of-school suspensions, all of which can be compared to other districts in California. We hope that policymakers in the state and across the nation will take note of the state- and district-level progress, and of the large disparities indicating that a great deal more effort is warranted. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/65w0k9tm Tue, 8 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 Losen, Daniel J. Keith, Michael A., II Hodson, Cheri L. Martinez, Tia E. Belway, Shakti https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8pd0s08z <p>Given the recent research showing that being suspended even once in ninth grade is associated with a twofold increase in the likelihood of dropping out, from 16% for those not suspended to 32% for those suspended just once (Balfanz, 2013), the high number of students suspended, as presented in this report, should be of grave concern to all parents, educators, taxpayers, and policymakers.</p><p>We are publishing this report because of the serious academic implications these statistics have for students who attend schools with high suspension rates. We believe greater awareness will help produce more effective approaches that create safe, healthy, and productive learning environments, which research indicates is best accomplished without resorting to frequent out-of-school suspensions. done well, efforts to reduce suspensions should also improve graduation rates, achievement scores, and life outcomes, while also decreasing the rate of incarceration for juveniles and adults.</p><p>The... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8pd0s08z Wed, 26 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000 Losen, Daniel J Martinez, Tia E https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3687h8gz <p>Recently the California Department of Education released new data on school discipline. This report compares this year’s data release covering 2012-13 to the data released last year covering 2011-12. We find a reduction in the use of out-of-school suspension for every racial/ethnic group. Specifically, based on the statewide averages for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, progress was made for every racial/ethnic subgroup toward reducing the rate of out-of-school suspensions (OSS) per 100 students enrolled from the prior year.</p><p>The reduction in state averages suggest that some progress has been made toward reducing the reliance on out-of- school suspensions and the racial gap in disciplinary exclusion is narrowing in California. This report only provides a summary of some of the more significant state and district level improvements. </p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3687h8gz Wed, 26 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000 Losen, Daniel J Martinez, Tia E Okelola, Valerie https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2t36g571 During the 2011-12 school year, nearly 3.5 million public school students were suspended out-of-school at least once<em>. </em>This report examines data on out-of-school suspension rates in every school district in the country and also examines on data on out-of-school suspension rates at the state and national levels. It documents disparities in the use of out-of-school suspension experienced by students with disabilities, and those from historically disadvantaged racial, ethnic, and gender subgroups. At the district level, on average more than one in every ten elementary students and at least one out of every four secondary students enrolled were suspended in 2011-12. Nationally, suspension rates are three to four times higher at the secondary level than at the elementary level. An examination of the racial and gender disparities among secondary students with disabilities shows that males, and most often Black males (33.8%), have the highest risk for suspension, followed by... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2t36g571 Thu, 12 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000 Losen, Daniel J. Hodson, Cheri L. Keith II, Michael A Morrison, Katrina Belway, Shakti https://escholarship.org/uc/item/99v051v1 The authors used data from the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), federal biennial K-12 student suspension data from 2009-2010, to analyze and compare rates of suspension for nearly half of the nation’s school districts, broken down by race and ethnicity. For each of the nearly 7,000 districts and each of the 50 states, they further examined differences in suspension by comparing the rates of students with disabilities with their non-disabled peers. Additionally, the authors analyzed data on the extent to which students are repeatedly suspended in the same school year. They also highlighted the highest suspending districts for each racial group and disaggregated data on the nation’s largest districts, with an added analysis of gender disparities as they intersect with race and disability status. National level findings show that 17% of Black school children in K-12 grades were suspended at least once and that after combining racial groups, 13% of students with disabilities were... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/99v051v1 Wed, 28 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0000 The Civil Rights Project https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3g36n0c3 <p>The first in an ongoing series of national studies by the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the Civil Right Project.</p><p>Foreward by Gary Orfield</p><p>Also available at http://civilrightsproject.ucla.edu</p><p>Data and data descriptions avaiable in supplementary materials.</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3g36n0c3 Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000 Losen, Daniel J. Gillespie, Jonathan https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9148d09q <p>The Civil Rights Project has been examining out-of-school suspensions since 1999 due to concerns about the frequency of suspensions, observed racial disparities in their systemic use and the possible negative impact, especially for children of color.  Most important, a robust study of school discipline by the Council of State Governments tracked every middle school student in Texas over 6 years and has helped educators crystalize what the evidence has always suggested: that the frequent use of out-of-school suspensions has no academic benefits, is strongly associated with low achievement, a heightened risk for dropping out and a greater likelihood of juvenile justice involvement.  If suspending a student out-of-school for minor infractions is a counterproductive educational response, logic dictates that it should be reserved as a measure of last resort. Unfortunately, education policy makers and parents are not fully aware of just how many students are at risk for being suspended.For... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9148d09q Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000 Losen, Daniel J. Martinez, Tia Gillespie, Jon https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8fh0s5dv <p>In order to better understand the issues of efficacy and fairness in the use of out-of-school suspension, we first must answer two questions: How frequently is suspension being used in our schools? Are there significant differences in the frequency of suspension when we look at subgroups of children by race/ethnicity and gender? This report, published by the Southern Poverty Law Center with research by CRP Senior Law and Education Policy Associate Daniel Losen and Indiana University Professor Russell Skiba, is designed to help answer these questions.</p><p>Article can also be found at: http://civilrightsproject.ucla.edu</p> https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8fh0s5dv Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000 Losen, Daniel J. Skiba, Russell J.