How Effective Are School Interventions in Reducing Exclusion? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

• In Event: Evidence-Based Crime Policy III

Abstract

Schools use many procedures to tackle problematic behaviors, including disciplinary rules and punishments. Among punishments used in schools, being excluded (or suspended) is one of the most serious consequences of students’ misbehavior. Most of the available research has found exclusion to be associated with negative outcomes. Exclusion of students seems to increase the likelihood of failure in the academic curriculum, aggravates antisocial behavior, and increases the chances of involvement with the juvenile justice system. Different programs have attempted to reduce the prevalence of exclusion and although some of them have shown promising results, so far, no comprehensive systematic review has examined these programs’ overall effectiveness. This study investigates which school-based interventions for reducing exclusions are the most effective in doing so. Results suggest that school-based interventions are capable of producing a small and significant (SMD=.30; 95% CI .20 to .41; p<.001; k=37) drop in suspension rates. These results are based on measures of impact collected immediately after treatment. Nine different types of school-based interventions were identified across the review. Two of them presented favorable and significant results in reducing exclusion (i.e., mentoring/monitoring, skills training for teachers). Since the number of studies for each sub-type of intervention was low, results should be treated with caution.

Authors

• Sara Valdebenito, University of Cambridge

• Manuel Eisner, University of Cambridge

• David Farrington, Cambridge University

• Maria M. Ttofi, University of Cambridge

• Alex Sutherland, RAND