Office Disciplinary Referral Patterns of American Indian Students from Elementary School through High School

Abstract

Disciplinary referrals and exclusions among students from minority backgrounds have been a persistent concern for decades. The purpose of this study was to determine (a) the rate at which American Indian students received office discipline referrals (ODRs) in comparison to students of other races/ethnicities, (b) the rate at which male American Indian students received ODRs in comparison to female American Indian students, (c) leading behavior violations and how they compare across race/ethnicity, and (d) the impact that the type of ODR and race/ethnicity have on administrative action. Logistic regression was used to examine ODRs for 9,330 students from prekindergarten through 12th grade in two Southwestern public school districts with a large combined American Indian population (23.5%). Results indicated higher odds of American Indian students receiving ODRs than Caucasian, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian students but lower odds than African American students. In addition, results indicated higher odds of American Indian boys receiving ODRs than American Indian girls, whereas the majority of ODRs were given for defiance, disrespect, and noncompliance, followed by aggression, disruption, and then attendance. Lastly, results indicated higher odds of American Indian students receiving differing levels of administrative action, including suspension and expulsion, than Caucasian and Hispanic/Latino students. Implications for practice and research are provided.