Overrepresentation of Indigenous students in school suspension, exclusion, and enrolment cancellation in Queensland: is there a case for systemic inclusive school reform?

Well-established evidence of the ill-effects of exclusionary school discipline, its disproportionate use on students of colour, and association with the “school-to-prison pipeline” has, in the last decade, led to systemic reforms in the United States, which are successfully reducing exclusion and improving outcomes. Few studies, however, have similarly investigated overrepresentation in Australia, with little attention to systemic reform as a result. In this study, we analysed suspension, exclusion, and enrolment cancellation rates in Queensland (QLD) government schools between 2013 and 2019 and found Indigenous students were consistently overrepresented. Suspension incidents proportionate to enrolments increased for all students, but this increase was faster for Indigenous than non-Indigenous students and driven primarily by steep rises in short suspensions during primary school (Preparatory-6). Exclusions increased—again disproportionately—for Indigenous students, chiefly in secondary school (7–12). During 2019, Physical Misconduct had the highest incident rate for both groups; however, Indigenous students were most overrepresented in suspensions for Disruptive/Disengaged behaviours. Further, while Indigenous students were overrepresented in all QLD regions, one region’s Indigenous suspension rate was higher than all others despite no difference in the distribution of Indigenous/non-Indigenous enrolments across regions. The scale and nature of Indigenous overrepresentation in exclusionary discipline incidents in QLD indicate clear need for further research to secure political commitment to systemic inclusive school reform, as well as to produce high-quality evidence capable of guiding that reform.

Impact of In-School Suspension on Black Girls’ Math Course-Taking in High School

Black girls are more likely to receive in-school suspension (ISS) in comparison to their non-Black peers. However, research on the effect of in-school suspension on students’ academic achievement, specifically math achievement of Black girls, is still very limited. Mathematics is an important foundational component of science, technology, and engineering fields, which are domains in which Black girls are underrepresented. Using the nationally representative Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), this study explores the relationship between in-school suspension and the highest math course completed in a multi-level analysis of 860 Black female participants from 320 high schools. Our findings revealed that in-school suspension was associated with lower mathematics course-taking. Implications for policy, practice, and research are discussed.

Instructional Management for Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in Remote Learning Environments

As schools expand access to technology devices and internet connectivity improves throughout the United States, educators can utilize technology for continuity of instruction during school disruptions (e.g., out-of-school suspension, catastrophes, disasters, or illnesses). Remote learning provides students with instruction outside of the physical school setting or outside of the student’s typical classroom (e.g., in-school suspension). Because most guidance and existing instructional practices for remote learning focus on academic domains and face-to-face instruction, this article focuses specifically on leveraging technology for remote learning to support four social, emotional, and behavioral practices: (a) building relationships, (b) establishing expectations, (c) promoting engagement, and (d) making choices. Options are provided for remote instructional practices for synchronous, asynchronous, and hybrid modalities.

Prometheus Bound in ISS

Is there an appropriate way for those in power to blow off steam? Are teachers ever allowed to speak in a derogatory manner about students? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Ethan is an intelligent loner high school Junior. His sister has gone off to the Air Force, and his mother recently died while driving drunk. One day he is approached by two of the popular girls in school who offer him $100 to hack into the school computer system and rig the Cotillion Queen voting results. He agrees, steals a teacher’s password, and logs into the teacher intranet to change the election results. While in the system he finds various “teacher only” discussion threads. In the threads, teaches talk candidly about which students they like and dislike. They also crack jokes about students, and generally say off-color remarks, including a few about Ethan. Ethan screen captures the conversations and emails them to the school and parents. Consequently, he is serving the remainder of the school year in In-School-Suspension.

Assessing Pre-Service Teachers View On Improving Discipline in Colleges of Education in Ghana: A Study at Wesley College of Education

Education at every level is expected to affect behaviour of those who experience it. This makes discipline very essential component in delivery of education. The study was a case study designed to examine students’ views on improving discipline in Colleges of Education. Data was collected from 244 respondents at Wesley College of Education in Ashanti Region, Ghana using a 4-point Likert and 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. The data were analysed using frequency and percentage. The study revealed that students viewed the concept of discipline as punishment which was generally perceived as severe. Punishment in the College included withdrawing students’ privileges, in-school suspension and out-of-school suspension among others. They regarded the causes of indiscipline to be the result of lack of students’ participation in the decision making process of the school, unclear rules. Students’ indiscipline was also attributed to bad training at home, students falling into bad company in school and lack of freedom for students. However disciplinary measures such as the use of guidance and counselling services, religious training, and parental involvement, had more positive responses. Based on the findings, some recommendations were made to improve discipline in Colleges of Education. For instance, there should be clarity of rules, this will enable students to understand the rules and abide by them. In addition, Students of colleges should be taught the value of self-discipline. These will help the student teacher to learn more appropriate ways to ensure discipline when they go out to practice.

Estimating the Relationship Between Special Education De-Identification for Emotional Disturbance and Academic and School Discipline Outcomes: Evidence From Wisconsin’s Longitudinal Data

Students placed in special education programs for emotional and behavioral disorders with emotional disturbance (ED) identification have academic outcomes that lag both students in regular and special education. This issue is especially important for youth attending urban schools. Although prior research has examined students identified as ED, little research has examined how students who experience de-identification fare with regard to academic or behavioral outcomes. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the relationship between ED de-identification and student outcomes in the United States. The study uses longitudinal, administrative data to estimate the relationship between special education de-identification from ED and both academic and school discipline outcomes. Results of regression models with a variety of fixed effects, including student fixed effects, suggest that students who are de-identified have higher academic achievement after de-identification and a lower probability of experiencing an in-school suspension (ISS). Results for out-of-school suspension (OSS) are mixed. The results suggest that appropriately timed exit from special education services for students with ED who have been determined by individualized education program (IEP) teams to be suitable for de-identification is unlikely to harm students academically but that extra attention to OSS may be needed. The results point to the need for more attention to de-identification.

Unpacking the Drivers of Racial Disparities in School Suspension and Expulsion

School suspension and expulsion are important forms of punishment that disproportionately affect Black students, with long-term consequences for educational attainment and other indicators of wellbeing. Prior research identifies three mechanisms that help account for racial disparities in suspension and expulsion: between-school sorting, differences in student behaviors, and differences in the treatment and support of students with similar behaviors. We extend this literature by (1) comparing the contributions of these three mechanisms in a single study, (2) assessing behavior and school composition when children enter kindergarten and before most are exposed to school discipline, and (3) using both teacher and parent reports of student behaviors. Decomposition analyses reveal that differential treatment and support account for 46 percent of the Black/White gap in suspension/expulsion, while between-school sorting and differences in behavior account for 21 percent and 9 percent of the gap respectively. Results are similar for boys and girls and robust to the use of school fixed effects and measures of school composition and student behavior at ages 5 and 9. Theoretically, our findings highlight differential treatment/support after children enter school as an important but understudied mechanism in the early criminalization of Black students.

Parental Involvement and the Black–White Discipline Gap: The Role of Parental Social and Cultural Capital in American Schools

Discipline disproportionality is the overuse of exclusionary discipline, such as suspension and expulsion, on Black students in American schools. This study adds to the literature by examining how parental involvement affects racial disparities in disciplinary outcomes in in-school suspension and by theoretically analyzing how parents’ social and cultural capital affect student disciplinary outcomes. The study uses Hayes’s dimensions of parental involvement as potential moderators between race and exclusionary discipline: achievement values, home-based involvement, and school-based involvement. Using base year data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 ( n = 15,362), a logistic regression model examines the three parental involvement dimensions as moderators of race and suspension. Two of the three dimensions significantly moderate the relationship between race and suspension. Both moderators are associated with a higher rate of discipline disproportionality. The analysis suggests that even while Black parents act as “adept managers” of capital, schools are still marginalizing the nondominant forms of capital that Black parents have.

Predictive Validity of Student Risk Screening Scale—Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE) Scores in Elementary Schools

In this article, we examined predictive validity of Student Risk Screening Scale—Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE) scores for use with elementary-age students ( N = 4,465) from 14 elementary schools. Results indicated elementary school students with high levels of risk according to fall SRSS-IE scores—especially those with externalizing behaviors—were more likely to have lower oral reading fluency scores, lower Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) reading scores, more nurse visits, and more days spent in in-school suspension compared with students at low risk for externalizing or internalizing behaviors. Educational implications, limitations, and future directions are presented.