Recently experts from across the nation convened at the White House to discuss best practices that foster safe, supportive, and productive learning environments that keep kids in school and out of the juvenile justice system. A planning guide aimed at promoting positive school climates and ending disparities in administering student discipline, Addressing the Root Causes of Disparities in School Discipline, An Educator’s Guide, developed and written by AIR experts, was released at the event.

Students Speak Out About Exclusionary School Discipline

Nineteen youths accepted AIR’s invitation to talk about how harsh school discipline has impacted them and the risks and challenges of the “school-to-prison” pipeline in front of an audience of policymakers and practitioners who work on juvenile justice and related issues. Read more about the Roundtable: The Perspectives of Youth Affected by Exclusionary School Discipline and view a short video discussion with participants:

What the Data Says About Disparities in School Discipline

Recently the U.S. Department of Education issued guidelines that recommended public school officials use new approaches to help reduce the time students spend out of school as punishment, a response to a rise in zero-tolerance policies that have disproportionately increased the number of arrests, suspensions and expulsions of minority students for even minor offenses.

Data from the Department of Education confirm that black students, particularly boys, are more likely to be expelled or face multiple suspensions from school.  Students who are excluded from school as a means of punishment may be more vulnerable to the "school-to-prison pipeline," the relationship between widespread school suspensions and expulsions and resulting involvement in the juvenile justice system. Evidence shows that students who are suspended or expelled for minor offenses are much more likely to repeat a grade, not graduate, or enter the juvenile justice system.

See below for more of our work on school discipline.