The Relationship Between Out-of-School Suspension Rates and Academic Achievement

• In Event: 45.061 - An Examination of the Effect of Teacher Beliefs and Student Academic Performance on At-Risk Populations

Abstract

The current study examined the relationship between out-of-school suspension (OSS), race, and academic achievement. Students in public and public charter elementary, middle, and high schools from a large metropolitan area along the East Coast of the United States were included. Results showed Black students’ suspension incident rates were 18.53 times more than White students and 5.22 times more than Hispanic students’. There was a significant negative relationship between OSS rate and mathematics and English Language Arts achievement even after controlling for a school’s percentage of Community Eligible Participants (CEP) among secondary students, but a significant relationship between OSS standardized test performance did not exist at the elementary level. There was a negative relationship between OSS and high school graduation rate.

Author

• Kyndra Violetta Middleton, Howard University