Disciplinary Exclusions Research Articles

The Impact of the Missouri School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (MO SW-PBS) on Disciplinary Exclusions

The negative outcomes of exclusionary discipline practices on children and youth are well established. Fortunately, for the past two decades, research has demonstrated that pro-active instructional approaches and building supportive class and school environments can effectively promote student social, emotional, and behavioral well-being, especially when evidence-based practices are placed within a problem-solving multitiered system of supports such as school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS). Recent work examining state-wide behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) initiatives, which include professional development and technical assistance to school leadership teams, has clearly documented that educators can reduce problem behavior and thereby reduce the need or use for exclusionary discipline practices. This study extends that body of knowledge by examining Missouri’s SWPBIS initiative over time and across grade levels. Using an extant data base, schools implementing SWPBIS with fidelity were compared with nonimplementing schools over 11 school years. Results indicated that schools implementing SWPBIS with fidelity had statistically significant lower rates of exclusionary discipline practices at the primary, middle, and high school level. Results are discussed within the context of past state-wide SWPBIS initiatives.

Policies addressing suspension and expulsion in state early care and education subsystems: A national census of policy alignment and integration

Exclusion from early care and education (ECE) programs creates employment challenges for families and disrupts learning for children, often differentially impacting children placed at-risk due to income, race, and disability. Federal policy guidance and changes in the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Block Grant requirements are meant to influence states to create policies that will both regulate and prevent disciplinary exclusions, especially suspension and expulsion. We present a national census of states’ CCDF plans, center-based child care licensing regulations, and state pre-K policies addressing suspension and expulsion. Using content analysis methodology, we evaluate the presence of key policy components of suspension and expulsion prevention including data collection, parent/family involvement in the process of exclusions, accessing community resources, and the use of developmental information to inform the use of exclusionary discipline. Our results indicate that expulsion and suspension policies vary widely both across states, and within the same state's subsystems. The component found most frequently across all subsystems is an expulsion policy, with noticeable variation in specifying and defining suspension. Our findings also point to a great deal of variance in policy alignment, with pre-K including the most information on expulsion and suspension policies and prevention. As state-level policymakers seek to adopt policies that reduce exclusion in ECE, our findings point to a need to consider the importance of creating policies that protect children, especially those over exposed to exclusionary discipline, and then aligning those components within and across ECE subsystems to promote equitable access to ECE. This is particularly important for low-income families, Black children, children with disabilities, and boys.

Exploring disproportional use of exclusionary punitive practices by disability group: Evidence of higher disproportionality in low‐SES Chilean students with ADHD

AbstractAlthough inclusive education policies conflict with punitive discipline measures, inclusion in mainstream schools may coexist with or allow such exclusionary punitive discipline. In Latin America, however, there is scarce research on how punitive measures are distributed, and if and how they affect students with disabilities enrolled in regular school settings. The purpose of this study was to characterize the occurrence of punitive exclusionary practices among students with disabilities enrolled in mainstream schools. We analysed reports from a national sample of Chilean students (N = 447,697) and parents on the frequency of punitive exclusionary discipline practices to identify the contribution of individual, classroom and school factors to student exclusion from general education settings. Individual characteristics included different disability groups. Multilevel logistic regression results consistently showed that students with ADHD were more likely to receive disciplinary exclusions, both in primary and in high school, with an odds‐ratio increase from 30% to nearly 150%, with higher rates for low‐SES students with ADHD. These findings suggest that in Chile, student‐level factors of gender, class and disability are strongly associated with exclusionary punitive discipline in schools. We discuss the intersectional dynamics of gender, class, race and disability in disciplinary processes of exclusion.

Imagining an Otherwise Global Public Administration

Global public administration remains an incomplete project with contested notions of its aims and objectives. Given its disputed nature we focus on developing a negative definition of global public administration. We argue that a global public administration cannot be based on a singular ontology, western epistemology and Eurocentric research agenda. Moreover, a truly global public administration must not be committed to myopic limitations concerning its scope, historicity, objectives and research methods. To help foster discussion toward reimagining a different public administration, based on the postcolonial work of Khatibi, we argue for an otherwise thinking about global public administration. This would require looking with alterity for inspiration and insight, looking back to learn from history, looking differently to formulate new questions through new lenses, looking inwards at disciplinary exclusions, and looking dialectically to navigate the macro-micro research divide.

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Imagining an Otherwise Global Public Administration: Conceptual Reflections

Global public administration remains an incomplete project with contested notions of its aims and objectives. Given its disputed nature we focus on developing a negative definition of global public administration. We argue that a global public administration cannot be based on a singular ontology, western epistemology and Eurocentric research agenda. Moreover, a truly global public administration must not be committed to myopic limitations concerning its scope, historicity, objectives and research methods. To help foster discussion towards reimagining a different public administration, based on the postcolonial work of Khatibi, we argue for an otherwise thinking about global public administration. This would require looking with alterity for inspiration and insight, looking back to learn from history, looking differently to formulate new questions through new lenses, looking inwards at disciplinary exclusions, and looking dialectically to navigate the macro-micro research divide.

The Additive Effects of Implementing Advanced Tiers of SWPBIS With Fidelity on Disciplinary Exclusions

Schools continue to rely on disciplinary exclusions as a consequence for behavioral rule violations, despite evidence that removing students from instruction for discipline purposes is associated with poor behavioral, academic, and social outcomes. School-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) is one multitiered support framework used to prevent behavior problems while developing effective and efficient systems for intervening with students who require more support. Prior research suggests implementing Tier 1 of SWPBIS with fidelity is associated with reductions in disciplinary exclusions. In this study, we evaluated the additive effects of implementing Tier 1 and advanced tiers (i.e., Tiers 2 and 3) with fidelity compared with Tier 1 alone for 558 schools in California. Results indicate schools implementing all three tiers with fidelity had significantly lower rates of students receiving one out-of-school suspension, out-of-school suspension incidents, and referrals to law enforcement. We also discuss implications and recommendations for future research.

Exclusionary School Discipline and Neighborhood Crime

The author investigates the impact of law-and-order schools, defined as those that rely heavily on exclusionary discipline (i.e., suspension and expulsion) as a form of punishment, on neighborhood crime. Additional analyses are performed to assess whether the effects of punitive school discipline on local crime are moderated by neighborhood disadvantage. Findings suggest that suspensions are associated with increases in local crime—evidence of a macro-level school-to-prison pipeline—while expulsions are generally associated with fewer crime incidents. Although disciplinary exclusions appear to increase crime at fairly consistent rates across levels of neighborhood disadvantage, both exclusion types are associated with more aggravated assault in areas with higher levels of disadvantage. As such, institutional processes of the school appear to help explain variations in community crime.

The Effect of School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports on Disciplinary Exclusions: A Conceptual Replication

Disciplinary exclusions, particularly out-of-school suspension and expulsions, are a pressing concern for schools, as research demonstrates that they are associated with myriad deleterious outcomes such as increased risk for poor academic achievement, school dropout, and contact with juvenile justice. Research suggests that School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS), a prevention and intervention framework for addressing school-based problem behavior, can have a significant and meaningful impact on reducing the likelihood of student suspensions and expulsions. In this study, we conceptually replicated a series of previous studies conducted in other states and examined the effect of universal SWPBIS on disciplinary exclusions in California. Using propensity score matching, we examine differences in suspension and expulsion rates for 98 schools implementing universal SWPBIS with fidelity and 98 comparison schools not implementing SWPBIS. Results suggest that schools implementing SWPBIS with fidelity have significantly fewer suspensions. No effects were found for expulsions. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.

The Exclusionary Discipline of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Students with and Without Disabilities: A Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) National Analysis

The objective of this study was to assess the rates of disciplinary exclusion for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students with and without disabilities, relative to Black, Hispanic/Latino, and White students, using 2015–2016 national level data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). We utilized quantitative analysis, including rates and weighted risk ratios, to assess disproportionality in disciplinary exclusions in terms of suspensions and expulsions. AI/AN students were disproportionately represented in exclusionary discipline practices, most substantially in comparison to White students, while AIAN students with disabilities were disproportionally represented in terms of suspension and expulsion risk compared to both Hispanic/Latino and White students, but not compared to Black students. The risk for AI/AN students, with and without disabilities, was highest for expulsion, the most extreme form of disciplinary exclusion. AI/AN students with and without disabilities remain overrepresented in exclusionary discipline. The Largest disproportionality was evident comparing AI/AN students and White students, with AI/AN students nearly nine times more likely to receive an in-school suspension, more than 10 times more likely to receive an out-of-school suspension, nearly 16 times more likely to receive more than one out-of-school suspension, and more than 30 times more likely to be expelled. Implications and recommendations to address issues related to this overrepresentation in disciplinary exclusion are provided.

Effect of SWPBIS on Disciplinary Exclusions for Students With and Without Disabilities

School leaders react to inappropriate behaviors by excluding students, despite research suggesting an association with poor student outcomes. Students with disabilities are frequently subjected to these practices. One framework that has been proposed to reduce the reliance on reactive discipline procedures is schoolwide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS). In this study, we replicated several state-level quasi-experimental studies with discipline data from California. Using propensity score matching, we compared 544 schools implementing SWPBIS with fidelity and 544 schools that had never been trained. We found statistically significantly fewer out-of-school suspensions and days missed due to out-of-school suspensions across all students. Students with disabilities were statistically significantly less likely to be sent to alternative settings due to behavior in schools implementing SWPBIS with fidelity, with an effect size of −0.65. These results replicate and extend prior findings.

Alternatives to School Exclusion in Ghana: Changing the Rhythm of Dealing With Truancy in Ghanaian High Schools

In this article, school disciplinary exclusions in high schools in Ghana are highlighted to explore alternatives to school exclusions. The 2017 budget and the preceding budgets of the Republic of Ghana clearly indicate that the bulk of the nation’s expenditure is spent on education. Part of the 2017 budget is especially targeted at making the senior high school (SHS) education free in Ghana beginning 2017-2018 academic year. Needy students have been the thrust of this investment to widen the broader spectrum of academic opportunities in Ghana. This government initiative has the potential to enhance access to secondary education in Ghana. In the education policy context, this kind of investment is expected to yield enhanced academic outputs beyond the exam results. In the estimation of this article, these outputs include creating an enlightened society, equipping Ghanaian students with appropriate value judgment, providing equitable access to education, and developing a sense of creativity through educational activities. However, the rampant student exclusions in Ghanaian high schools put the academic career of these students into jeopardy. It is in the light of this that this article provides a focused discussion on the contextual understanding and alternatives to school disciplinary exclusion in Ghana.

A Review of Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports as a Framework for Reducing Disciplinary Exclusions

Schoolwide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) is currently implemented in more than 23,000 schools nationally and internationally. Several reviews have examined the SWPBIS evidence base, including a meta-analysis of single-case design research. However, to date, there has not been a review of group-based experimental research (e.g., randomized controlled trials [RCTs]) on the school-level effects of SWPBIS implementation to reduce disciplinary exclusion, including office discipline referrals and suspensions. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis following What Works Clearinghouse procedures to investigate that relationship. We identified four group experimental studies that included disciplinary exclusion as an outcome variable; two RCTs and two quasi-experimental designs. Overall, 90 schools, including both elementary and high schools, were evaluated. A statistically significant large treatment effect ( g = −.86) was found for school suspension, but no treatment effect was found for office discipline referrals. Implications for future research are discussed.

The Impact of School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports on School Suspensions: A Statewide Quasi-Experimental Analysis

This study explored the effects of School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) on school suspensions and behavioral incidents for elementary and intermediate schools in Georgia implementing with fidelity by comparing results with a propensity score–matched comparison group of schools that never received SWPBIS training. Significant decreases in suspensions and disciplinary exclusions were found in schools implementing with fidelity compared with matched comparison schools. Schools implementing SWPBIS with higher fidelity had fewer out-of-school suspensions and disciplinary incidents than schools implementing with lower levels of fidelity, but both groups had significantly fewer suspensions and incidents than the comparison group. When converted to standard mean difference effect sizes, results indicated medium to large effects. These findings suggest that SWPBIS is an effective model for reducing disciplinary exclusions and disciplinary incidents and that implementing SWPBIS with fidelity can result in meaningful improvements on student behavioral outcomes in schools.

Preventing Disciplinary Exclusions of Students from American Indian/Alaska Native Backgrounds

We present 2009–2010 data on disciplinary exclusions in schools and juvenile incarcerations from one state in the United States to demonstrate that American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students: (a) are disproportionately overrepresented in disciplinary exclusions from the classroom, (b) lose 4.5 times as many student days as White students due to disciplinary exclusions, and (c) are removed to alternative education for relatively minor offenses. We then present an overview of the literature on culturally responsive school environments, the Native community's recommendations to improve outcomes for AI/AN students and approaches to educational systems changes that might alleviate disciplinary exclusions of AI/AN students.Keypoints high drop‐out rates low graduation rates low academic achievement disproportionate representation in exclusionary discipline

IDEA 2004 and Disciplining Students With Disabilities

Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) included substantive changes in the area of disciplining students with disabilities. Historically, discipline has been a divisive issue within the field of special education. Many administrators and teachers believe differential treatment has been afforded to this population, fostering a system that promotes separatism and inequality. The authors provide an overview of IDEA 2004 provisions on discipline and outline practical recommendations that will aid school personnel maintain a safe environment for all students. Areas of discussion include suspension procedures, functional behavioral assessments, manifestation determination meetings, and interim alternative educational settings. The authors also provide a list of potential alternatives to disciplinary exclusions.

Behavioral Intervention Plans: Legal and Practical Considerations for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) specifies that a behavioral intervention plan (BIP) must be developed for students with disabilities under certain disciplinary exclusions. IDEA, however, does not provide details as to what should be included in BIPs, and this lack of specific guidance often results in confusion and controversy. Hopefully, school personnel draw guidance from best practices in the field. Unfortunately, what is considered best practice is not always viewed as necessary, or is at least questioned, by schools. Therefore, this article addresses three areas. First, an overview of what should appear in a BIP is provided based on evidence-based practices. Second, legal issues in the development and implementation of BIPs are presented by examining statutory provisions and established case law. Third, recommendations for educators are presented so that effective and legally mandated BIPs can be developed, implemented, and evaluated.

Disciplinary Exclusions in Special Education: A 4-Year Analysis

Current discipline policies have led to an increase in the use of exclusion with students with disabilities, thereby preventing some from receiving a free and appropriate public education. Students from ethnically and racially diverse groups and students with emotional or behavioral disorders are reported to have disproportionately higher rates of suspensions than others. The authors of this study analyzed disciplinary exclusion data in the last 4 years published by the U.S. Department of Education. Results indicated that (a) there was an increasing trend in exclusion of special education students; (b) African American and American Indian/Alaskan Native students were excluded more often than students from other racial groups; (c) some states excluded students with disabilities more often than the rest of the states; (d) students in the West were removed by school personnel more often than students in the other regions; (e) students in the South were more likely to receive short-term suspensions; and (f) interaction effects existed between certain variables. The authors discuss these results and make recommendations for future research.

Cosmopolitan Difference in Max Dvorak's Art Historiography

Max Dvořak's major texts relate art historiography to nationality and cultural difference. His principal reason in charting the relationship of art to intellectual and spiritual conditions was to demonstrate the uniqueness of artistic expression in Germany and Northern Europe since Early Christianity. Dvořak's ideas were based on an intimate awareness of German explanations of modernism from the late 1700s to his time. Despite his theory's totalizing claims, Dvořak's resistance to classicist hegemony in art historiography is pertinent for the current debate on the nature of disciplinary hierarchies and exclusions.