Are Students With Disabilities Who Are Racial or Ethnic Minorities Disproportionately Suspended? A Best-Evidence Synthesis

• In Event: 77.041 - Mass Shootings, Education Policy, and School-Level Practices: The Challenges of Keeping Students Safe and Treating Students Fairly

Abstract

Our best-evidence synthesis examined whether students with disabilities (SWD) who are racial/ethnic minorities are disproportionately suspended from U.S. schools. To evaluate for potential racial discrimination, we coded estimates based on whether they were adjusted for disability status and infraction type. Our initial search identified 169 studies, of which 13 met inclusion criteria (e.g., use of at least one covariate). Studies were then coded descriptively (e.g., cross-sectional vs. longitudinal design). Results from 70 of 271 regression estimates indicated that SWD who are racial/ethnic minorities, particularly those who are Black, were more likely to be suspended than SWD who are White. Correction for infraction type did not fully explain the greater reported suspension risk of SWD who are racial/ethnic minorities.

Authors

• Yangyang Wang, The Pennsylvania State University

• Zoe Rose Mandel, The Pennsylvania State University

• Paul L. Morgan, The Pennsylvania State University