Towards Ending School Exclusion
Interrogating Successive School Discipline Reforms as Levers for Promoting Racial Equity
A SELECTION OF RECENT RESEARCH RELATED TO SCHOOLS AND CLASSROOMS
Fenning, P., & Johnson, M. (2016). Developing prevention-oriented codes of conduct. Children’s Legal Rights Journal, 36(2), 107–136.
This article discusses the development of prevention-oriented codes of conduct to address student behavior in schools. The focus is on promoting positive behaviors and include strategies for preventing negative behaviors rather than simply punishing students. They emphasize the importance of involving the school community in creating these codes to foster a more supportive school environment.
Hwang, N. (2018). Suspensions and Achievement: Varying Links by Type, Frequency, and Subgroup. Educational Researcher, 47(6), 363–74. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X18779579
This study examines the relationship between school suspensions and academic achievement, showing that the links between suspension and student performance vary by suspension type, frequency, and demographic subgroups. The research suggests that frequent and exclusionary suspensions are particularly harmful to academic outcomes.
McIntosh, K., Smolkowski, K. Gion,C.M., Witherspoon, L., Bastable, E., & Girvin, E.J. (2020). Awareness is not enough: A double-blind randomized controlled trial of the effects of providing disproportionality data reports to school administrators. Educational Researcher, 49(7), 533-537.
This study tests the impact of providing school administrators with data reports on disciplinary disproportionality. The authors found that simply making administrators aware of disproportionality data was not enough to bring about significant changes in disciplinary practices. The study highlights the need for further interventions beyond awareness to address inequities in school discipline.
Reed, K, Fenning, P., Johnson, M. & Mayworm, A. (2020). Promoting statewide discipline reform through professional development with administrators. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 64(2), 172-182.
This article examines how professional development for administrators can promote discipline reform, particularly in relation to reducing exclusionary practices. The authors emphasize the importance of training administrators to understand and address disciplinary disproportionality, with the goal of implementing more equitable and restorative discipline practices.
Skiba, R. J., Chung, C. G., Trachok, M., Baker, T. L., Sheya, A., & Hughes, R. L. (2014). Parsing disciplinary disproportionality: Contributions of infraction, student, and school characteristics to out-of-school suspension and expulsion. American Educational Research Journal, 51(4), 640-670.
This study investigates the factors contributing to disciplinary disproportionality in schools, specifically focusing on out-of-school suspensions and expulsions. The authors find that both student and school characteristics—such as race, infraction type, and school environment—contribute to disparities in discipline.
Transforming School Discipline Collaborative (2016). Public Act 99-0456 School District Self-Assessment Checklist. https://www.transformschooldiscipline.org/tsdc-toolkit
The document provides a self-assessment checklist for school districts to evaluate their current discipline practices and identify areas for improvement. The checklist is part of a larger initiative to promote restorative practices and reduce exclusionary discipline policies. It helps schools assess how well they align with best practices for discipline reform.
Zakszeski, B., & Rutherford, L. (2021). Mind the gap: A systematic review of research on restorative practices in schools. School Psychology Review, 50(2-3), 371-387.
This systematic review evaluates the research on restorative practices in schools, assessing their effectiveness in improving school climate and reducing disciplinary disparities. The authors find that while restorative practices show promise in promoting positive behaviors and reducing suspensions, the evidence is mixed, suggesting the need for more rigorous studies.
