Ain't Misbehavin': Predicting Out-of-School Suspensions in Massachusetts Elementary Schools

• In Event: Equity and School Improvement

Abstract

Elementary school students are subject to disciplinary referrals including out of school suspensions which have been shown to be ineffective and possibly lead to long-term harm (Riley, 2019). This paper considers school characteristics that could contribute to out of school suspensions using the Urban Institute’s School Data Explorer to answer the research question: Which school characteristics predict the probability of having at least one student suspended out of school? Using a binary logistic regression model, the results suggest two statistically significant variables: School Title I Eligibility & Percent of Minority Students within a school. This paper serves as a starting point to begin to cultivate equitable education systems within the state of Massachusetts and beyond.

Authors

• Haylea M. Hubacz, Boston College

• Zhushan Mandy Li, Boston College