Estimating the Impact of Expulsions, Suspensions, and Arrests on Average School Proficiency Rates in Ohio

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Division L Section 8 Roundtable

Abstract

Student removal became a popular form of discipline since the implementation of zero-tolerance policies during the early 1990s. A majority of cases regarding student removal are for minor and non-violent offenses and literature in this field suggests that teachers’ biases and cultural misreadings widen racial disparities in school discipline and academic performance. Our study estimates the effects of exclusionary punishment on the performance of Ohio’s elementary, middle, and high schools, including charter and public schools. We exploit within-school and within-district variation to estimate the effects of school suspensions, student arrests, and expulsions on schools’ mean math and reading proficiency rates of Asian, Hispanic, Black, and white students over a three-year academic period.

Authors

• Christopher B. Yaluma, The Ohio State University

• Alexis Patrice Little, The Ohio State University - Columbus

• Michael B. Leonard, The Ohio State University