Using Data to Understand Implementation Challenges: the UK and US

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

Abstract

This paper critically examines the role of data in shaping public debate and policy around exclusionary discipline practices in the UK and US. By comparatively exploring official and publicly available data, the study aims to uncover how different approaches to measurement and data collection may obscure or illuminate critical factors related to exclusionary practices, particularly for marginalized students (Losen et al., 2015; McCluskey et al., 2019). Using Wales and California as case studies, we investigate how data collection methods impact our understanding of exclusion trends and patterns across diverse contexts (Parsons, 2018; Welsh, 2018). This analysis seeks to contribute to more equitable approaches to school discipline by highlighting limitations of current data practices and proposing improvements. By informing evidence-based strategies for reducing exclusionary practices we hope to better promote educational environments that support all students.

Theoretical Framework: This paper employs a multi-faceted theoretical approach to examine the role of data in shaping public opinion and policy around discipline practices. We draw on critical data studies (Iliadis & Russo, 2016) to analyze how data collection, interpretation, and dissemination practices can either perpetuate or challenge existing inequities in school discipline. Second, also utilize Fraser's (2008) theory of social justice, particularly concepts of redistribution, recognition, and representation, to examine how data practices may hinder equitable outcomes in education. We also incorporate Gillborn's (2008) critical race theory in education to explore how race and racism may influence data collection and interpretation processes. Finally, we draw on implementation science frameworks (Durlak & Dupree, 2008) to consider how data can be more effectively used to inform and improve exclusionary discipline practices. This multi-theoretical lens allows for a comprehensive examination of the complex interplay between data, policy, and practice in addressing educational inequities.


Methods & Data: This paper will utilize publicly available data to describe patterns of exclusion in each context, as well as qualitative data from large-scale projects.

Results: In the UK official measures only record an exclusion outcome, not the different trajectories towards an exclusion. Similarly, in the US the referrals preceding an exclusion aren’t mandated to be reported. Yet many factors impact strategies of data collection and use at the school level. Analysis from Wales shows how poverty, gender and learning needs interact to form a complex picture of risk factors related to exclusion. Analyzing patterns of exclusion across the life course for Welsh children reveals different groups at risk of exclusion at different stages of their educational life course. In the US, by contrast, the relationship between gender and race reveal a complex picture. Interview data suggests a nuanced pattern of exclusion that takes into account teacher identity and the role of stereotypes in perceptions of students' behaviors.

Scholarly Significance: This paper will contribute to the discussion around the role of data use in school exclusion, highlighting how differences in national and local context inform uses and approaches to data around school exclusions.

Authors

• Chris Taylor, Cardiff University

• Joseph P. Bishop, University of California - Los Angeles