Preliminary Findings from a Study of Preschool Expulsion in Chicago

• In Event: Excellence in Education Research: Early-Career Scholars and Their Work

Abstract

In the spring of 2014, the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights released its first analysis of preschool disciplinary practices, showing that out of more than 8,000 public preschoolers who faced disciplinary action (suspension/expulsion), a disproportionate number were boys and African American children. The rates of expulsion and suspension have been estimated to be up to four times higher in private center-based preschool programs. Although research on this topic is limited, one study found that certain types of supports, especially mental health consultants, significantly decrease a preschool’s likelihood of expelling and suspending students by helping teachers to better manage children’s behavior and maintain a positive learning environment for all children. However, less than a quarter of preschool teachers have access to such consultants, and those who do are mostly working in state-funded preschool programs. Most published studies on preschool discipline use data collected over a decade ago, before the recent increase in social-emotional learning (SEL) curricula adoption. Furthermore, prior studies did not account for complex contextual factors, such as center location, population demographics, and center-level and interpersonal resources available to teachers struggling with children’s challenging behavior. In this presentation, I will share the preliminary findings of an ongoing mixed-method study of expulsion practices in private preschools across 10 diverse Chicago neighborhoods. Specifically, with funding from the National Academy of Education and the Spencer Foundation, we aim to: (1) understand the prevalence of, and associations between discipline and social-emotional supports in private preschool centers across Chicago neighborhoods; and (2) understand the association between centers’ rates of expulsion and the beliefs and social-emotional competencies of teachers who work there.

Method:
Centers eligible for participation were identified following procedures originally developed for the Chicago Area Study (CAS; Gordon, Colaner, & Krysan, 2013). Using 2010 U.S. Census data, we categorized the 33 ZIP Codes of the Chicago metropolitan area into one of five neighborhood types by racial/ethnic majority and median income levels (Majority non-Hispanic Black, low income; Majority Hispanic, low income; Majority non-Hispanic White, low income; Majority non-Hispanic White middle income; Majority non-Hispanic White high income). A database of all licensed providers in each of the 33 ZIP Codes was constructed using the Illinois Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS) website. Across the 33 ZIP Codes, 322 programs met eligibility requirements: center-based child care/preschool programs, unaffiliated with Chicago Public Schools or solely funded by Head Start, and serve children ages 3-5 years old. Two ZIP Codes from each of the five neighborhood types were selected for recruitment in this initial study (N centers =149).

Participants:
Data collection is currently underway but the emerging sample of teachers is mostly female (92%), diverse (35% Hispanic, 46% Black or African American), and well educated (with 69% holding a BA or higher). So far, teachers mostly work in either Independent For-Profit (36%) or Nonprofit (43%) Center-based care programs and responses have been received from seven different ZIP Codes representing four of the five neighborhood types in Chicago (all but Majority non-Hispanic White, middle income which we have not yet visited).

Measures:
Administrator Survey: The director of each center selected for the study was asked to provide basic administrative information about the center including demographics of population served, size, licensing and accreditations, and funding sources. Additionally, directors were asked to report on center policies regarding disciplining students and to provide basic information about recent expulsion incidents.

Teacher Survey: Administered online via Qualtrics, teachers reported on workplace experiences, education and training, beliefs and practices in the classrooms, teachers’ own emotional competence and their perception of children’s behavior. Finally, teachers who reported having at least one child leave their classroom permanently due to behavior problems in the past year was asked to provide information about the child’s demographics and behavior, their centers’ response, and the outcomes for that child.

Illinois ExceleRate & Neighborhood Context Data: State licensure and quality rating (Bronze – Gold) data on all centers in the surveyed ZIP Codes were gathered in the initial sample creation process. These data will be matched by street address with data from the City of Chicago portal on nearby public resources, crime, and family support services to provide better information about the contexts in which centers operate. Additionally, during each center recruitment visit, research assistants complete the neighborhood observation record (adapted from the NICHD SECCYD HOME Inventory, ECCRN, 2001) to rate the area immediately surrounding the center (physical environment, safety, congestion, and welcoming atmosphere).

Teacher Interviews. Semi-structured follow-up interviews will be carried out (Summer 2016) with twenty teachers who reported previously expelling children and ten who have not. For each case reported by a teacher, he or she will be asked to provide information about the child, the incident(s) leading up to and the process of requesting the expulsion, the teacher’s experience and perceptions of the expulsion process, repercussions, and needed resources. Teachers who have not previously expelled students will be asked to talk about how they manage challenging behaviors in their classrooms, what resources they find to be most supportive, and what role their administrators play in discipline.

Progress and Planned Analyses:
Data are currently being collected and the most up to date results will be presented on the poster. Initial research questions which we will address include:

1. What is the prevalence of private preschool expulsion across diverse neighborhoods in Chicago?

2. What are the characteristics of teachers and children involved in dismissals?

3. Are accessible SEL supports associated with disciplinary rates?

Future analyses will determine if neighborhood type moderates the association between SEL supports and expulsion. Hierarchical linear analysis will evaluate the clustering of teacher emotional competences, beliefs, and experiences by center and neighborhood type. Qualitative analysis of interviews will yield a richer understanding of the ecology of preschool centers and how teachers’ beliefs, values and practices, interact with center-level policies and supports to either increase or mitigate the likelihood of children being expelled. Future GIS mapping analyses will reveal geographical trends in expulsion and accessibility of SEL supports across neighborhood types.

Author

• Katherine M. Zinsser, University of Illinois at Chicago