In the state of South Carolina, African American students make up 34% of the student population but 59% of students receive out-of-school suspension. It was assumed by prior research statistics that the disproportionality of discipline produces lower academic achievement for African American students. An examination of the disproportionality of discipline through a structural theoretical lens as an effort to understand the inequity in the application of exclusionary discipline, specifically out-of-school suspension, for African American students and how it affects their academic performance was the focus of this study. The data for this non-experimental quantitative study was obtained from the South Carolina Department of Education Records Center archives for two urban school districts in South Carolina. A one-way ANOVA revealed that there was no statistically significant difference for the rate of discipline and the rate of passing the Algebra I EOC for African American and White students. A chi-square test revealed there was an association between African American and White students and the graduation rate. The results of this study imply that exclusionary discipline practices did not adversely affect African American students' academic achievement in the two South Carolina urban school districts. Based on the findings in this study, it is recommended that future research include a three-year mixed method approach and a longitudinal design to include all students of color and all school districts in South Carolina. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]