Out-of-school suspension decreased in 48 states and Washington, DC between 2011–12 and 2017–18, but in five states the decline came with an even larger increase in in-school suspensions¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2022 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2027: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Secondary out-of-school suspension use decreased in 48 states and Washington, DC from 2011–12 to 2017–18; only Hawaii and Kansas did not see a decrease. → Leung-Gagné 2022 q2 i? In five states, declining out-of-school suspensions were accompanied by an even larger increase in in-school suspensions, indicating continued exclusion. → Leung-Gagné 2022 (2)

Evidence¶

Leung-Gagné 2022¶

Leung-Gagné, M., McCombs, J., Scott, C., & Losen, D. J. (2022). Pushed out: Trends and disparities in out-of-school suspension. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/235.277

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Comparison of secondary school suspension rates across all 50 states and Washington, DC using CRDC data (Appendix B, Table B1). The report states use "decreased in 48 states and in Washington, DC" and that only Hawaii and Kansas did not see a decrease.

"we found that the use of out-of-school suspension decreased in 48 states and in Washington, DC, from 2011–12 to 2017–18"

Leung-Gagné 2022 (2)¶

Leung-Gagné, M., McCombs, J., Scott, C., & Losen, D. J. (2022). Pushed out: Trends and disparities in out-of-school suspension. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/235.277

q2 · i? · associational · r2

State-level CRDC analysis of whether out-of-school declines reflected genuine reductions in exclusion. The report finds "an even larger increase in in-school suspensions" in five states, signaling continued exclusion from learning opportunities.

"in five states the decline in out-of-school suspensions came with an even larger increase in in-school suspensions, suggesting that in these states students continued to be excluded from learning opportunities even though they remained in school."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Secondary school students are suspended at more than three times the rate of elementary school students, and recent declines were concentrated in secondary schools — related
• Secondary school suspension rates varied greatly across states in 2017–18, from 15% in Mississippi, South Carolina, and Washington, DC to 3% in Utah — related
• National out-of-school suspension rates rose from 4% in 1973 to a peak of 7% in 2009–10, then fell to 5% by 2017–18 while remaining above 1970s levels — a broader claim this one bears on
• In Maryland, disciplinary removals (out-of-school suspensions and expulsions) declined over the past 10 years while discipline disparities persisted — related
• Oakland Unified gradually reduced out-of-school suspension rates for girls after policy changes — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Black students are suspended at the highest rate of any racial group, at 12% in 2017–18, with persistent disparities across all years analyzed — related
• Secondary suspension risk declined and the racial gap narrowed slightly since 2009-10, while elementary rates did not decline and some districts saw large increases — related
• Interventions are more effective for general suspensions and in-school exclusion than for severe sanctions such as permanent exclusion and out-of-school suspension — related