Black Student Exclusion: Examining Commonalities in Patterns of School Exclusion in England and the United States

• In Event: Reckoning With Exclusionary School Discipline: Illuminating Cross-National Patterns

Abstract

Objectives: This paper examines the persistent issue of disproportionate exclusionary discipline affecting Black students in U.S. and English schools, a critical social justice concern demanding urgent attention and remedy (Demie, 2021; Losen et al., 2021). We analyze a spectrum of exclusionary practices, from temporary suspensions to permanent removals, considering their varied justifications and the profound short- and long-term consequences on students' educational, employment, and health outcomes. Our objective in this paper is to provide an overview of similarities and dissimilarities of the racial contours of school exclusion in each context. We examine how youth of color, particularly Black students, are disproportionately subjected to exclusionary punishments compared to their white peers. By focusing on various forms of exclusionary discipline in public schools, including both temporary suspensions and permanent exclusions, we aim to uncover systemic inequities and identify potential avenues for creating more just and equitable disciplinary approaches in educational systems.

Theoretical Framework: This paper draws on anti-racist theorists who emphasize the socially constructed nature of race (Foucault, 1977; Crenshaw, 1989 & 2017; Bonilla-Silva, 1997). The paper also draws on critical theories related to power, control and punishment as well as social justice issues related to social class and socio-economic status.

Methods & Data: We analyze the patterns of racial disparities in school exclusions and suspensions over time using publicly available data on school exclusions and suspensions from the United States and England over the past 25 years. We review the literature on race and exclusions and suspensions in the same countries over the same time period.

Results: In the USA, Black students have been consistently considerably more likely to be excluded or suspended than white students despite variations in overall rates of suspension and exclusion. Other students of color, with the exception of Asian students, were also more likely to be suspended or excluded than white students. In England, Black students have also been considerably more likely to be excluded or suspended. However, the data reporting in England uses different racial categories than in the USA. Rates were considerably higher than white students for ‘Black Caribbean’ students and even higher for ‘mixed white and Black Caribbean students’ but lower for ‘Black African’ students. Data in both countries reveal geographical differences. The literature suggests that government and regional policy has had both positive and negative effects but local context is also significant.
Scholarly Importance: This paper makes a unique contribution by examining the issue of race and school exclusion across national contexts. The paper also points out the benefits and difficulties of cross-national comparisons using different data sets and different categories of race or ethnicity.

Authors

• Ian Thompson, University of Oxford

• Angela James, University of California - Los Angeles