A report issued by the Council of State Governments and the Public Policy Research Institute of Texas A & M University detailed the findings of a six year study of one million Texas students attending public secondary schools. Breaking Schools’ Rules: A Statewide Study of How School Discipline Relates to Students’ Success and Juvenile Justice Involvement reports:
Of the nearly 1 million public secondary school students studied, about 15 percent were suspended or expelled 11 times or more; nearly half of these students with 11 or more disciplinary actions were involved in the juvenile justice system.
Only three percent of the disciplinary actions were for conduct in which state law mandated suspensions and expulsions; the rest were made at the discretion of school officials primarily in response to violations of local schools’ conduct codes.
African-American students and those with particular educational disabilities were disproportionately disciplined for discretionary actions.
Repeated suspensions and expulsions predicted poor academic outcomes. Only 40 percent of students disciplined 11 times or more graduated from high school during the study period, and 31 percent of students disciplined one or more times repeated their grade at least once.
Schools that had similar characteristics, including the racial composition and economic status of the student body, varied greatly in how frequently they suspended or expelled students.
Michael Thompson, CSG Justice Center Director, hopes that the report will be used by Texas and other state policy makers to review suspension and expulsion procedures, and make necessary changes that will “enhance students. Academic performances, and reduce juvenile justice system involvement.”
Source: Council of State Governments Justice Center
To view the full report click here to go to website
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