Hazard of Suspension Among Girls: A Comparison by Race, Age, and Teacher-Reported Behaviors

• In Event: Expanding Statistical and Methodological Approaches in DLC Work

Abstract

Critical Race Feminism suggests Black girls are at higher risk of experiencing school suspension due to racialized and gendered interpretations of classroom-based behaviors and biases, and existing research supports this contention. While much of the work detailing risk of suspension for Black girls has been qualitative, this body of work suggests Black girls are more likely to be suspended and suspended at younger ages as compared to White girls, as their behaviors are more likely to been seen as violating gender norms and met with racial biases. Using Cox Proportional Hazard Models, the current study examines whether Black girls are at higher risk of suspension across teacher-reported behaviors than white girls, and examines differences in hazard of suspension across behaviors for suspension in childhood as compared to suspension in adolescence. Findings are supportive of the Critical Race Feminist perspective, and provide some support for the utility of hazard models in examining risk of negative outcomes.

Author

• Abigail Novak, University of Mississippi