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24 Jul 2015
Spotlight

Exclusionary School Discipline

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 Disparities in School Disciplinereduce 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.

 

Addressing the Root Causes of Disparities in School Discipline, An Educator’s Guide

Related Projects

Project

National Clearinghouse on Supportive School Discipline

The National Clearinghouse on Supportive School Discipline supports educational practitioners in their efforts to transform the conditions for learning as well as harsh, exclusionary and disproportionate disciplinary practices in our nation's schools.

Related Work

23 Dec 2015
Blog Post

New Year's Resolution for Policymakers: End Zero Tolerance

Zero tolerance policies were born out of fear and even desperation. After the 1999 school shootings in Colorado, some educators and public figures adopted a tough law-and-order stance; but, instead of deterrence, we got a discipline regime of mass suspensions. In this blog post, AIR's Peter Cookson argues that zero tolerance discipline and other failed, counter-productive policies should disappear into the void.
David Osher
21 Dec 2015
Blog Post

Zero Tolerance and Bias Reinforce the School-to-Prison Pipeline

Schools must be places of safety and support for all students. And yet, in an effort to make our schools safe havens, districts have adopted zero-tolerance policies and increased school policing. The result, however, has driven some of our most vulnerable students out of school and into a judicial system often built for punishment rather than support: the school-to-prison pipeline. In this blog post, AIR’s Jeffrey Poirier and David Osher argue that re-evaluating zero tolerance policies, training staff to deal with non-threatening but disruptive student behaviors, and working to eliminate bias can go a long way to ending the school-to-prison pipeline.
teenager talks about exclusionary discipline
22 Jul 2015
Video

Young People Speak Out About Exclusionary School Discipline

AIR experts David Osher and Sandra Williamson were at the White House this week speaking at the national convening to "Rethink School Discipline." In this video from an earlier event, we hear from students themselves.
23 Jul 2015
News Release

AIR Experts Develop School Discipline Planning Guide for Educators

Experts with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) developed and wrote a planning guide for educators aimed at promoting positive school climates and ending disparities in administering student discipline. The guide was released July 22 during a Rethink School Discipline event at the White House. Addressing the Root Causes of Disparities in School Discipline, An Educator’s Guide, helps schools and districts address persistent disparities in school discipline. It includes tools to assess and systematically address disparities in a data informed manner that looks at causes that go beyond discipline and may begin earlier in a student’s life.
9 Sep 2013
Report

Roundtable: The Perspectives of Youth Affected by Exclusionary School Discipline

Exclusionary school discipline policies once instituted to prevent serious infractions have crept into discipline practices for minor issues. Youth who participated in a roundtable on the subject contend that it limits opportunities to learn and compromises academic achievement; is applied disproportionately and subjectively; and deprives students of the support services they need.
4 Feb 2013
Report

Avoid Simple Solutions and Quick Fixes: Improving Conditions for Learning

The Cleveland School District and AIR implemented a districtwide effort to improve safety, order, and conditions for learning, including social and emotional competence, connectedness to caring adults and peers, and the experience of emotional and physical safety.  Findings included improved conditions for learning, better attendance, decreased disruptive behavior, and fewer suspensions.

Further Reading

  • Zero Tolerance and Bias Reinforce the School-to-Prison Pipeline
  • Roundtable: The Perspectives of Youth Affected by Exclusionary School Discipline
  • New Year's Resolution for Policymakers: End Zero Tolerance
  • Advancing School Discipline Reform
  • ESSA │School Discipline
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Social and Emotional Learning
Education
School Discipline

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