Discipline Referrals Research Articles

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports and Substance Misuse in Secondary Schools

Amid a proliferation of highly potent opioids, school systems have sought to invest in programs for preventing substance misuse. School teams often prioritize early screening and intervention to prevent student substance misuse; however, given the limited resources of many schools, it is crucial to understand the extent to which commonly available data and existing frameworks are relevant for prevention efforts. In this study, we examined (a) how commonly available data on substance misuse (office discipline referrals [ODRs]) relate to self-reported substance misuse and (b) how positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) implementation across tiers relates to these substance-related outcomes. We found that self-reported substance misuse is significantly related to substance-related ODRs, but that self-report rates are much higher than ODR rates. We also found that Tier 2 PBIS implementation was associated with significantly lower rates of both self-reported substance misuse and substance-related ODRs. These findings suggest that aspects of PBIS implementation could be beneficial in preventing substance misuse, but more research is needed to understand what specific school-based practices best address these student behavioral health needs.

Fix your crown, queen: Evaluating the effects of a culturally enriched social-emotional learning intervention for Black girls.

Although much of the literature on disproportionality has focused on Black boys, Black girls are suspended at higher rates than girls of any other race due to the misconstrued ideology that Black girls are less innocent and feminine and more adultlike than their White counterparts. Culturally responsive interventions at the student level can support students' social, emotional, and behavioral well-being and improve their skills in navigating inequitable school systems. The purpose of the present study was to develop and implement a culturally enriched social emotional learning curriculum, titled Fix Your Crown, Queen, and evaluate the effects of the curriculum on Black girls' academic engagement during classroom instruction, inappropriate behaviors, office discipline referrals, social skill development, racial identity, and self-esteem. Results were mixed for academic engagement, office disciplinary referrals, and social skills development. Additional results found that racial identity was maintained at high levels, and there was a decrease in self-esteem. Based on these preliminary findings, more research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of Fix Your Crown, Queen intervention on Black adolescent girls. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Adolescent male friendships 28 years later: adult criminal offences and domestic/intimate partner violence

Adult arrest records were examined for a cohort of 150 public high school males named as friends by classmates 28 years earlier. The overall adult arrest rate was 35.3%. The arrest rate for males with at least one disciplinary referral was 59.2%. Friendship data were divided into offender–offender, offender–non-offender and non-offender–non-offender dyads. The proportion of offender–offender dyads was four times greater than offender–non-offender dyads, both for those with and without disciplinary referrals. These results are interpreted as indications of the possible influence of high school friends on adult offences. Arrests were disproportionally for violent offences against females among those who shared high school friendships. An interpretation that negative attitudes, emotions and behaviour toward females formed during activities with friends in high school, leading to a trajectory of violence towards women, is presented. Recommendations are made for interventions for adolescent male anger towards females to prevent adult domestic and intimate partner violence. Suggested interventions include anger management, school violence prevention, dating violence prevention and youth mentoring programmes. Also recommended is to change punitive school policies that bring students with behaviour problems together to opportunities for positive experiences, such as through organised activities, volunteer service in the community and restorative justice practices.

From High Discipline Referrals to High-Engagement Classrooms: A Design-Based Approach to Creating a Campus-Wide Culture of Positive Learning Support for At-Risk Student Populations through Transforming Educators’ Instructional Teaming Practices

Instructional leaders in many school districts throughout the United States are increasingly confronted with spiraling numbers of discipline referrals from teachers who are unable to manage the off-task behaviors and discipline infractions of the growing percentages of diverse, academically at-risk students populating their classrooms. Many of these at-risk students, who come from families that are economically disadvantaged and have culturally rich and linguistically diverse backgrounds, have become stigmatized and minoritized by an education system whose curricula are often woefully inadequate in being able to meet the unique social and academic support needs of these diverse learners. This article profiles how one high school principal and his instructional turnaround leadership task force colleagues working in a high diversity urban school district utilized multi-leveled data analysis investigative thinking and innovative professional learning program design strategies derived from the education improvement science literature to implement a comprehensive intervention program for ninth through twelfth grade teams of core content teachers and their instructional supervisors. The specific goals of the intervention program were to: 1) change educators’ entrenched pedagogical thinking and instructional planning mindsets regarding the motivation levels and learning capabilities of the high discipline referral students who regularly engage in off-task disruptive behaviors in their classrooms; and 2) transform teachers’ instructional data teaming practices to better serve the academic learning support needs of the campus’s minoritized students. The design-based approach to instructional improvement employed in the high school case study leveraged the use of multiple cycles of new knowledge and skills acquisition, critical self-reflection, and immersive professional learning to assist educators in exploring how to engage together in authentic data teaming and data analysis–informed differentiated instructional planning to craft high-engagement classroom learning environments and interactive instructional units to effectively address the academic development and support needs of the campus’s diverse, at-risk learners.

Group Counseling for Black Male Students: A Strengths-Based Approach

The American School Counselor Association calls for counselors to utilize multitiered systems of support to minimize gaps. Specifically, Tier 2 interventions provide a method to address equity issues and foster growth. Black male students experience the greatest disparities in schools; therefore, school counselors should consider culturally affirming, strengths-based groups to meet these students’ needs. This practitioner research outlines an intervention resulting in participants’ decreased discipline referrals and enhanced social/emotional skills.

New evidence of predictive validity of SRSS-IE scores with middle and high school students

IntroductionWe report predictive validity of the newly defined Student Risk Screening Scale – Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE 9, with 9 items) when used for the first time by middle and high school teachers from 43 schools.MethodsThe sample included 11,773 middle school-aged students representing four geographic regions, and 7,244 high school-aged students representing three geographic regions.ResultsResults indicated fall SRSS-IE externalizing and internalizing latent factors as well as subscale scores (SRSS-E5, SRSS-I4, respectively) predicted year-end behavioral (office discipline referrals and in school suspensions) and academic (course failures) outcomes for middle and high school students as well as referrals to special education for middle school students. Internalizing scores also predicted referrals to special education for high school students. Externalizing and internalizing scores predicted nurse visits at the middle and high school levels with all models except for subscale models of internalizing in middle school. SRSS-IE 12 subscale scores for externalizing (SRSS-E7) and internalizing (SRSS-I5) using the original 12 items were similarly predictive of these outcomes, with few variations.DiscussionWe discuss educational implications, limitations, and directions for future inquiry.

Additional Evidence of Predictive Validity of SRSS-IE Scores With Elementary Students

In this article, we examined predictive validity of the newly defined Student Risk Screening Scale–Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE 9, with nine items) when used by teachers for the first time, with a sample of 24,535 elementary students from 74 schools in four U.S. geographic regions. Results indicated fall externalizing and internalizing latent factors as well as subscale scores (SRSS-E5 and SRSS-I4, respectively) from the SRSS-IE 9 predicted year-end behavioral outcomes (office discipline referrals, suspensions, and nurse visits), academic outcomes (reading and math scores and course failures), as well as referrals to special education for elementary students. SRSS-IE 12 subscale scores for externalizing (SRSS-E7) and internalizing (SRSS-I5) using the original 12-item version subscales were similarly predictive of these outcomes. We discussed educational implications, limitations, and directions for future inquiry.

Restorative justice and dynamic chronologies in disciplinary referrals in an urban middle school

ABSTRACT School referrals are a key initial step in the school-to-prison pipeline, both via direct referral to law enforcement and through accumulated mechanism of control upon students. However, few studies have examined the chronological trajectory of referral usage within a school year. This study investigated whether the assignment of school disciplinary referrals varies over time over a typical school year, and whether that variation differed based on student demographic characteristics. Using longitudinal data from a medium-sized urban middle school in the eastern United States, the study found a statistically significant quadratic relationship between office referrals and time among students of color specifically. However, no such relationship could be observed for White students, for whom referrals were subject to little variation over the course of a school year. Finally, evidence was found that racial disparities in referrals were also subject to a quadratic trajectory as the year progressed. These findings demonstrate the need for deeper investigation into racialized variation in how office referrals are administered over time.

National patterns of vulnerable decision points in school discipline

In this study, we identified the specific discipline decision situations (i.e., vulnerable decision points [VDPs]) that contribute most to racial discipline disparities from a sample of 2020 schools across the United States. We also examined how much VDPs contributed to overall discipline disparities and the extent to which there was similarity among the strongest VDPs within each school. Last, we directly compared the VDP that contributed most to disparities in each school to situations with the highest rates of office discipline referrals (ODRs) to identify the extent of agreement with overall school discipline patterns. We found the most common VDPs within schools to be subjective behaviors (e.g., defiance, disruption) in classrooms throughout the day, with ODRs for physical aggression contributing notably to disparities among the top 10 VDPs. The strongest single VDP accounted for an average of 17% of racial disparities across the school and the top three VDPs accounted for 37% of disparities. The strongest three VDPs within schools also were remarkably consistent across behavior and location. Finally, there was moderate agreement between situations with the most ODRs and those with the strongest racial disparities, with 63% of schools in the sample having VDPs identical to their situations with most ODRs. In the absence of prescriptive analysis of their own school data, the results of this study provide school leaders and intervention researchers with more precise, promising targets for intervention to increase educational equity.

Positive Youth Development and Adventure Therapy with Underserved Youth: An Evaluation of the Chicago Voyagers Program

Adventure therapy programs can promote beneficial experiences and attributes that cultivate positive youth development (PYD). This study explores the impact of an urban, outdoor adventure therapy program for underserved youth. Multiple versions of the Positive Youth Development Inventory were given to participants and a comparison group (N = 161) across three school years (pre-pandemic). In addition, qualitative data were collected via surveys and interviews completed by participants, parents, and chaperones, which were analyzed in tandem to provide program feedback. School data such as grades, attendance, and disciplinary referrals was also analyzed to triangulate self-report data. Findings indicated that CV programming increased PYD in the areas of competence, character, and confidence. This supports the use of adventure therapy for promoting protective factors with underserved youth who face adversity. This adjunctive program can be considered as a way to foster PYD among underserved youth who have experienced chronic exposure to trauma.

The Ties That Bind: An Examination of School-Family Relationships and Middle School Discipline in New York City

Inequities in exclusionary discipline result from a complex process involving students, families, and school personnel. However, little research has explored the topic from parent perspectives. This study used parent survey data from New York City to investigate the link between school-family relationships and students experiencing exclusionary discipline. Results indicate that stronger parental trust toward teachers is connected to a reduced probability that a student receives an office discipline referral, while greater trust in principals is associated with a lower chance of suspension. Several aspects of school-family relationships, such as parent-principal trust, parental involvement, and school outreach and communication, heterogeneously predict a lower likelihood of experiencing exclusionary discipline by student race and special education status. These findings demonstrate the interdependent role of families and school staff in child development and highlight the need to cultivate positive school-family relationships as a potential strategy for addressing exclusionary discipline disparities.

Legalization and retail availability of recreational marijuana and adolescent use in schools.

Legalization of use and retail sales of recreational marijuana in U.S. states and the associated potential increase in access to marijuana and normalization of its use by adults could lead to increased use by adolescents. Studies have found that states with legal recreational marijuana have higher rates of adolescent use and frequency of use compared to states without legal use. We examined changes in student office discipline referrals (ODRs) for substance use offenses in Oregon middle and high schools before and after the legalization of recreational marijuana relative to comparison schools in other states. We found that rates of substance use related ODRs in middle schools increased by 0.14 per 100 students (30% of the mean) with legalization relative to comparison schools. This increase was moderated by the presence of a marijuana outlet within one mile of the school. We found no statistically discernible changes in high school ODRs. Marijuana use in adolescence has been linked to negative health and social consequences, including academic problems, mental health issues, and impaired driving. Potential adverse impact on adolescents and investments in school-based prevention programs could be important considerations for policymakers and public health officials when evaluating marijuana legalization.

Classroom Disruptiveness and Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Disparities in Office Discipline Referrals

ABSTRACT Prior research has shown that Black and Hispanic students are more likely to experience office discipline referrals than White youth, and the magnitude of these inequalities has been found to vary by gender. However, it remains unclear whether racial/ethnic and gender disparities in office referrals might be amplified among students in more disruptive classroom environments. Analyses of data from the 2012–2021 8th/10th grade cohorts of the Monitoring the Future survey (N = 70,442) reveal that, among male youth, Black- and Hispanic-White differences in office referrals are substantially weaker for students who describe their classrooms as more disruptive. In contrast, the heightened risk of an office referral for minority female students relative to White females increases in correspondence with higher levels of classroom disruptiveness.

Assessment of Engagement and Disaffection With the Student Engagement Instrument

Research suggests the need to assess both positive and negative forms of student engagement. The purpose of this study was to pilot disaffection items with the Student Engagement Instrument (SEI) with a sample of middle school students from a rural area in the Southeastern U.S. This study explored the factor structure of the piloted items alongside the SEI, measurement invariance, and associations between student engagement and disaffection with educational outcomes such as mathematics and reading test scores, discipline referrals, and absences. Results hold implications for our theoretical understanding of engagement, suggesting that engagement and disaffection dimensions are theoretically and psychometrically distinct.

Can School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) improve adolescents' perceptions of school climate?

As school climate plays a key role in adolescents' academic and socio-emotional outcomes, interventions that can enhance this climate are of major interest. In considering research on practices linked to a positive school climate, School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) is a promising approach. To date, most SWPBIS studies have been conducted in English-speaking countries and have been based primarily on adults' perceptions or reports (e.g., suspension rates, office discipline referrals). There is a dearth of research on the effectiveness of SWPBIS among adolescents in different cultural contexts. Moreover, little is known about its propensity to influence adolescents' perceptions of school climate dimensions. The present study examined the effects of SWPBIS on different dimensions of school climate as perceived by French adolescents enrolled in Grades 6–9. An experimental effectiveness study was conducted among 84 grades from 21 middle schools. Multilevel analyses were conducted on data from a sample of 6765 adolescents (Mage = 12.3 years, SD = 1.23; 51% girls) from 40 control and 44 intervention grades, controlling for grade-level school climate dimensions at baseline. The results suggest that SWPBIS had a positive effect on educational, safety, and teacher-student school climate dimensions. No effects were found on belonging, fairness, and between-students school climate dimensions. The findings suggest that SWPBIS had a positive effect on adolescents' perceptions of three school climate dimensions regardless of their initial perception levels. These results may provide future directions for school teams, researchers, and policymakers interested in ways to improve school climate.

Reasons for High School Dropout: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study Based on Students' Common Experiences

The purpose of this study is to describe the shared experiences of high school students who have left school. The study is based on the qualitative research pattern of "Descriptive Phenomenology". The sample of the study consists of 10 students who left school at the secondary level. "Criteria sampling" which is among purposeful sampling methods was used when determining the sample. The data obtained from semi-structured interviews with students who had left the school were subjected to content analysis, which is a qualitative data analysis method. MAXQDA qualitative data analysis program was used when this analysis was carried out. As a result of the analysis, it is seen that students leave school due to reasons such as low academic achievement, class repetition, absenteeism, poor economic situation, work, reluctance, apathy, negative behaviors, bad peer group, bad social environment, disciplinary referrals, peer bullying, different career orientations and negative role models. In the study, these reasons were classified as low academic motivation, risky behaviors and social disadvantage.

Troublemakers? The Role of Frequent Teacher Referrers in Expanding Racial Disciplinary Disproportionalities

Teachers’ sensemaking of student behavior determines whether students get in trouble and are formally disciplined. Status categories, such as race, can influence perceptions of student culpability, but the degree to which teachers’ initial identification of student misbehavior exacerbates racial disproportionality in discipline receipt is unknown. This study provides the first systematic documentation of teachers’ use of office discipline referrals (ODRs) in a large, diverse urban school district in California that specifies the identity of both the referred and referring individuals in all ODRs. We identify teachers exhibiting extensive referring behavior, or the top 5% referrers, based on the number of ODRs they make in a given year and evaluate their contributions to disciplinary disparities. We find that “top referrers” effectively double the racial gaps in ODRs for both Black-White and Hispanic-White comparisons. These gaps are mainly driven by higher numbers of ODRs issued for Black and Hispanic students due to interpersonal offences and defiance and also partially convert to racial gaps in suspensions. Both the level and racial compositions of the school sites where top referrers serve and their personal traits seem to explain some of their frequent referring behavior. Targeting supports and interventions to top referrers might afford an important opportunity to reduce racial disciplinary gaps.

Evaluation of the Little Rock Green Schoolyard initiative: a quasi-experimental study protocol

BackgroundEvidence suggests that access to green schoolyards may facilitate vigorous play and lead to increased physical activity, which could lead to improved academic outcomes and reduce excess childhood weight gain. Greener schoolyards can also provide additional outdoor amenities that help the community at large. The Little Rock Green Schoolyard Initiative, a program aiming to promote outdoor learning and play in two of the city’s community schools, provides a natural experiment to evaluate the role of such interventions. This article presents the protocols and study plans that will be used to evaluate this community-led initiative on several outcomes including physical activity, sleep quality, use of schoolgrounds, and perceptions of the school environment. Administrative datasets will be used to assess exposure to green schoolyard improvements on academic achievement, attendance, and disciplinary referrals during elementary school.MethodsData will be gathered in two community schools where the green schoolyard improvements are taking place and in two demographically-matched comparison schools located elsewhere within the Little Rock School District. Data will be collected before, during, and after the green schoolyard improvements go into effect. Physical activity and sleep quality will be measured using actigraphy. Physical activity will also be assessed through direct playground observations during recess and outside of school hours. During the final year of the study, administrative data will be assembled and evaluated using difference-in-differences estimation and synthetic controls, two causal inference methods from the program evaluation literature.DiscussionThe study is designed to provide new insights into the design, implementation, and evaluation of playgrounds among schoolchildren, especially those who are at risk of developing severe obesity during their elementary school years. The research herein will develop empirical data, elucidate potential mechanisms, and practical experience for future study, policymaking, and health services.

Up the down escalator? Examining a decade of school discipline reforms

Racial inequality in exclusionary discipline is one of the salient educational equity challenges facing educational stakeholders in the United States (U.S.). This study synthesizes recent empirical evidence (2010–2022) on the effectiveness of school discipline reforms in the U.S. Although the overall use of exclusionary discipline has declined in the past decade, a growing number of studies indicate that the benefits of policy and programmatic changes are not greater for African American students. Thus, racial disparities in office discipline referrals (ODRs) and suspensions remain, with a few notable exceptions. Several recommendations emerge for educational policymakers and leaders contemplating school discipline reforms that lower ODRs for African American students including: a) rejecting race-neutral school discipline reforms and strategically coordinating various alternative approaches to exclusionary discipline such as policy changes and programmatic investments, b) prohibiting suspensions for attendance-related infractions, c) investing in the fidelity of the implementation of school-based programs such as Restorative Justice and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports and complementing these programs with school mental health, and d) investing in developing an empathic mindset, coaching, and professional development in classroom management and culturally responsive practices for educators.

Just go to the office! An intersectional exploration of the role of race and gender in discipline referral reasons

ABSTRACT Educators’ differential selection of Black and Latine students for office discipline referrals is a significant driver of inequity in exclusionary outcomes. Using demographic data and discipline records for all students in one large urban school district, we use descriptive statistics and multilevel regression models to consider whether referral reasons are racialized and if these patterns intersect with gender. Our analyses indicate that educators are consistently more likely to refer Black students than White students to the office for several subjective reasons, including habitual disruption, that are purportedly race-neutral but privilege Whiteness. They are less likely to make referrals for Black students in the objective category of drug and alcohol use or possession. Latine students are more likely than White youth to be referred for habitual disruption and substance use or possession. We draw on Critical Race Theory to interpret these findings and their implications.