Suspended Students Research Articles

Achievement and Enrollment Status of Suspended Students

There have been outcries in both the academic sector and in the popular press about the high and increasingly rising use of suspensions as a discipline measure. Among the negative consequences noted has been a detrimental impact on the academic achievement of suspended students. This article presents the results of longitudinal retrospective analyses on suspensions, achievement, and long-term enrollment status of students in a large, urban school district. The pre- and postsuspension reading achievements of suspended students were compared to those of a comparison group matched on grade, gender, race, participation in the free/reduced lunch program, and limited English proficiency. Findings indicated that suspended students had substantially lower presuspension achievement than did students in the comparison group, gained considerably less academically throughout 3 years with suspensions, and had high drop-out rates. All patterns were considerably more marked with increases in suspensions and with decreases in achievement.

Effective Counseling Strategies for Supporting Long-Term Suspended Students

Long-term suspended (LTS) students are barred from the school system for lengthy periods, leaving them at risk of academic failure and vulnerable from lack of services. A program in a North Carolina public school system provided counselors to work with each LTS student. Outcome data were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of counseling services offered during student suspensions and after students reentered school. Strategies facilitating student reenrollment in school are identified.

Effective Counseling Strategies for Supporting Long-Term Suspended Students

Long-term suspended (LTS) students are barred from the school system for lengthy periods, leaving them at risk of academic failure and vulnerable from lack of services. A program in a North Carolina public school system provided counselors to work with each LTS student. Outcome data were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of counseling services offered during student suspensions and after students reentered school. Strategies facilitating student reenrollment in school are identified.

Involving the Community in In-School Suspension

In-school suspension programs (ISS) have been incorporated into various school systems throughout the nation since the mid-seventies (Cuttle, 1975; Hockman & Worner, 1987; Patterson, 1985; Raebeck, 1993). The basic premise of the ISS—that students stay in school and continue to learn while suspended—makes it a popular and acceptable alternative to out-of-school suspension (Meares & Kittle, 1976). However, while studies examining the effectiveness of ISS have general ly found these programs to be successful in reducing the number of out-of-school suspensions, there have been varying degrees of success in other important areas (Knoff, 1991). For example, Short and Noblett (1985) concluded that most ISS programs were mainly punitive and lacked a sufficient academic component. Other researchers found that ISS models often stressed punishment rather than rehabilitation and remediation (Casserly, Bass, & Garrett, 1980; Collins, 1985). Responding to these reported deficiencies, school systems have begun to address the needs of these sus pended students, many of them having at-risk factors in their backgrounds, in a more holistic manner (Grice, 1986; Leatt, 1987; Prior & Tulle, 1991). Recent ISS pro grams include involvement and cooperation of all school personnel, including counselors. In addition, researchers strongly suggest that parental involvement is necessary for ISS to have the greatest chance to be effective (Knopf, 1991; Novell, 1994; Prior & Tulle, 1991). However, getting parents involved is difficult, and this crucial component of a successful ISS is often absent. A rather innovative approach to parental involvement, as well as other important components, was implemented in a junior high school ISS program in Hammond, Louisiana. Not only did parents become a part of the school's efforts to assist students with at risk backgrounds, the entire community also joined in the effort to help Hammond Junior High School (one of two junior high schools in the city) keep these students in school.

Suspended Students: An Analysis of Suspension Length and Returning Semester GPA

The purpose of the study is to determine if length of suspension is related to academic success upon a student's return to college. This research stems from opposing views of members of a university academic appeals committee concerned about whether a suspended student should serve a suspension term of one semester, one year, or be granted immediate reentry. Academic records of 765 students who were suspended between the fall 1991 and the summer 1993 semesters and then were allowed to reenter the university within one year were examined. The results reveal that suspension length is unrelated to subsequent academic success.

Assessing a Short-Term Intervention to Facilitate Academic Success

The authors examine the effectiveness of an academic course taught as a condition for the reinstatement of suspended students.

Retention Strategies for High-Risk Students at a Four-Year University

Intrusive retention strategies were implemented in an attempt to better the chances for success of high-risk students at Henderson State University. The author describes the origin, development, and results of Students in Retention, a program for probationary and first-time suspended students.

Use of the token economy system to intervene on a school-wide level

Many writers have suggested that professionals dealing with psychological problems in school settings need to consider procedures for consulting on a system level, rather than on an individual or a group level. In this report, a token economy system was implemented for all 459 students in a K-6 elementary school. Managing an intervention program at the system level required comprehensive procedures for staff training and program modification. The results showed a major decrease in classroom disruptions and a decrease in negative teacher interactions during the token economy system compared with baseline data. Data analysis the following summer on system-wide variables demonstrated that the number of suspended students and number of days of suspension decreased, that the rate of gain on achievement tests in reading and mathematics increased compared with the yearly rates suggested by test scores the previous year, and that the teacher turnover rate decreased. Several variables considered necessary for the effective implementation of the program were discussed.

The College Pushout

In a study designed to discover whether suspended students are characterized by common factors in their backgrounds and college records that tend to distinguish them from other students, a comparison of SAT scores, grade‐point averages, and selected demographic data indicated that the suspended student: (a) had, in terms of family background and intellectual aptitude, the same opportunity for success in college as did other students; (b) was far below other college‐bound students in high school academic achievement; (c) was likely to be in scholastic difficulty for the duration of his pre‐suspension days; and (d) tended to be a rather passive, apathetic individual.