Consequences for (Mis)Behaving While Black: The Correlation Between Administrator Race and Student Suspension Rate

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: Bringing Integrity Back to Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Education: CRT as Both Theory and Methodology

Abstract

Purposes
The purpose of this study is to determine if there are significant differences in risk of out of school suspension (OSS) for Black students relative to White students in schools with Black and White administrators. The question then becomes: Are there significant differences in risk of OSS for Black students relative to White students in schools with White and Black administrators? Using Critical Race Theory (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995) and Quantitative Critical Race Theory (QuantCrit) (Crawford, Demack, Gillborn, & Warmington, 2019; Gillborn, Warmington & Demack, 2018), the researchers will explore the racial issues that lead us to this point and the material outcomes that these underlying issues have created for data.
Theoretical Background
Critical Race Theory and QuantCrit
Contrived from an earlier legal movement called critical legal studies (CLS) with scholars like Derrick Bell and colleagues, Critical Race Theory (CRT) has been an underlying driver for equitable education since before it got its official name. CRT suggests using five tenets for analyzing race in schools (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995). The tenets are: 1) permanence of racism, 2) counter storytelling and majoritarian narratives, 3) race is a social construction, 4) interest convergence, and 5) racism as intersectional (Crenshaw, 1991; Delgado, 1995; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995). These tenets ground this research and support some key aspects that encourage a fresh take on quantitative research. QuantCrit principles are guide this study, which include: 1) the centrality of racism, 2) numbers are not neutral, 3) categories are not neutral, 4) voice and insight: data cannot ‘speak for itself’, and 5) social justice/equity orientation (Crawford et al., 2019; Gillborn et al., 2018).
Data Sources
Our sources included the California public schools’ discipline data from the U.S. Department of Education and the Civil Rights Data Collection for the 2015-16 school year.
Methods
We calculated risk ratios for each school to determine the risk a Black student receives an OSS compared to a White student. We used Robust Variance Estimation (RVE) in a meta-regression model to estimate the risk ratios for Black students relative to White students in schools with Black or White administrators, controlling for available and relevant covariates. We used a meta-analytic approach to account for each school’s variance and to weight the results by school variance (Borenstein, Hedges, Higgins, & Rothstein, 2009). Hierarchical Linear Modeling was the analysis method used to complete this research.
Results
On average, Black students were just over three times more likely to receive one Out of School Suspension than White students in schools with White administrators, while the risk was almost equal for White and Black students in schools with Black administrators. Even after controlling for school-level covariates, the weighted average risk ratio was statistically significantly less in schools with Black administrators. OSS in U.S. schools continues to be an under-pursued issue that disproportionately disadvantages Black students. These results call for more research on school leadership preparatory programs, school cultural climate, and teacher biases.

Author

• D'Annette Mullen, University of Florida