The U.S. Department of Education released a data set in 2011-2012 regarding discipline in schools in the U.S. The data revealed Black girls were the fastest growing population of students experiencing suspension and expulsion. Compared to their White peers, Black girls were suspended at a rate of six times more. The theoretical framework for this…

The literature on "what works" in disciplinary alternative education is inconclusive. Our current understanding of effective disciplinary alternative education programs is based primarily on quantitative data collected for administrative purposes. The voices of youth directly affected by disciplinary alternative education programs are…

Students in the United States missed more than 11 million school days in the academic year 2017-2018 due to out-of-school suspensions. Research has shown that suspension has adverse short- and long-term consequences, such as lower academic achievement and lower graduation rates. With school suspension affecting approximately one-third of students…

Hundreds of schools across North America are embracing Larry Thompson's Responsibility-Centered Discipline (RCD) -- a groundbreaking approach that supports students in developing intrinsic motivation and growing as conscientious and active members of their school communities. Emphasizing responsibility, empathy, and self-regulation, RCD offers a…

Using a strengths-based approach, this study investigated whether Black adolescents' provision of different types of support to family (chores, childcare, emotional, financial support) was associated with their educational outcomes (school engagement, grades, suspensions), and whether these associations differed by household income levels. The…

Data have consistently revealed a major problem with disproportionality in several academic and social climate measures for African American students compared to their White counterparts. Black students tend to have lower end-of-course (EOC) testing scores in mathematics and reading, a greater tendency to be suspended from school, lower average…

Despite numerous efforts to attenuate the Black-White discipline gap in U.S. schools, Black students are still suspended for minor infractions at a disproportionately higher rate than their White peers. Using a racially diverse sample (n = 1,515; M[subscript age] = 12.7; 50% boys; 72% Black, 28% White), this 3-year longitudinal study examined…

This qualitative study delves into the perspectives of school leaders in a Canadian province, exploring their views on student suspensions and alternative approaches to school discipline. Amid a provincial advocacy organization's call for a review and reduction of suspensions in that jurisdiction, the study captures both constructive and critical…

Using a 3-Round Delphi Technique, the current study aimed to ascertain consensus regarding parents' thoughts about the school, home, and community protective factors (i.e., preventive behavior interventions, behavior resources) needed to prevent adolescents from referral to behavior school and subsequent involvement in the juvenile system. A…

Racial disproportionality in disciplinary practices has persisted in United States schools for decades. Students of color are consistently overrepresented in school discipline referrals, suspensions, and expulsions. These exclusionary discipline practices alienate students and set them on the pathway to disengagement and potential dropout from…

Racial disparities in school discipline may have collateral consequences on the larger non-suspended student population. The present study leveraged two longitudinal datasets with 1201 non-suspended adolescents (48% Black, 52% White; 55% females, 45% males; M[subscript age]: 12-13) enrolled in 84 classrooms in an urban mid-Atlantic city of the…

U.S. public school students increasingly attend schools with sworn law enforcement officers present. Yet little is known about how these school resource officers (SROs) affect school environments or student outcomes. Our study uses a fuzzy regression discontinuity (RD) design with national school-level data from 2014 to 2018 to estimate the…

Although metal detectors, guards, and law enforcement officers are intended to protect students and maintain a safe educational environment, the actual effectiveness of such measures is unclear, especially when it comes to protecting Black students. Charles Bell interviewed Black students from urban and suburban schools across Michigan and learned…

Permanent exclusion from primary school is an issue of national and local concern; previous literature has primarily focused on secondary school experiences of school exclusion. Furthermore, research offering detailed insights into the experience of permanent exclusion from the perspectives of pupils, parents and school staff is limited. This…

The current study examines the relationship between suspensions and attendance rates concerning the school environment of four whole-child and Traditional public schools. The concerns were the disparity of social-emotional skill outcomes needed to develop the whole child. As American educational policy is aimed at Preparing students for competing…