Southern Hospitality? Exploring the Prevalence of and Disparities in Exclusionary Discipline in the U.S. South

• In Event: Critical Considerations of Discipline-Related Policies

Abstract

School discipline is an important educational equity issue. This study examines school discipline in the American South using district-level data for the 2011-12, 2013-14, 2015-16, and 2017-18 academic years from the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). The conceptualization of the South matters more for measuring out-of-school suspension (OSS) than it does for in-school suspension (ISS). We find that Black-White disparities in suspensions are larger in predominantly White and predominantly Latinx districts, although the prevalence of suspensions are larger in predominantly Black districts. Majority Black districts use OSS more frequently than majority White and majority Latinx districts. While Inclusive Disciplinary Districts (IDDs) exist in the South, they are primarily in majority White districts, not in predominantly Black communities. Implications are discussed.

Authors

• Richard O. Welsh, Vanderbilt University

• Tia R. Williams, Vanderbilt University

• Blaise Joseph, New York University