DIFFERENCES IN EXCLUSIONARY DISCIPLINE CONSEQUENCE ASSIGNMENT BY THE ECONOMIC STATUS OF BLACK STUDENTS DETERMINED TO BE AT-RISK: A TEXAS, STATEWIDE ANALYSIS

Candace M. Pohl; John R. Slate

doi:10.46281/aesr.v7i1.1281

Candace M. Pohl Sam Houston State University, USA
John R. Slate Sam Houston State University, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9915-7849

DOI: https://doi.org/10.46281/aesr.v7i1.1281

Keywords: Discipline Alternative Education Program Placement, Economic Status, Discipline Consequences, Economically Disadvantaged, At-Risk, Exclusionary Discipline, Ethnicity/Race.

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the degree to which economic status was related to Discipline Alternative Education Program placement assignments for Grades 8 and 9 Black boys and Black girls who were at-risk during the 2017-2018 school year. Inferential statistical analyses of Texas statewide data revealed the presence of statistically significant differences in the number of Discipline Alternative Education Program placement assignments by the economic status of Black boys and Black girls at both grade levels. Grades 8 and 9 Black boys and girls who were at-risk and who were economically disadvantaged were assigned to statistically significantly more of these exclusionary discipline consequences than their counterparts who were not economically disadvantaged. Grade 8 Black boys who were economically disadvantaged were assigned to these exclusionary discipline consequences two times more often than Grade 8 Black boys who were not economically disadvantaged. Grade 8 Black girls who were economically disadvantaged were assigned to these exclusionary discipline consequences two-thirds more often than Grade 8 Black girls who were not economically disadvantaged. Grade 9 Black boys and Black girls who were economically disadvantaged were assigned these exclusionary discipline consequences one-third more often than their non-economically disadvantaged peers. Implications and recommendations for future research were discussed.

Author Biographies

Candace M. Pohl, Sam Houston State University, USA

Doctoral Student, Department of Educational Leadership, Sam Houston State University, USA

John R. Slate, Sam Houston State University, USA

Professor, Department of Educational Leadership, Sam Houston State University, USA

References

Bottiani, J. H., Bradshaw, C. P., & Mendelson, T. (2016). A multilevel examination of racial disparities in high school discipline: Black and White adolescents’ perceived equity, school belonging, and adjustment problems. Journal of Educational Psychology, 109(4), 532-545. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000155.supp

Bradshaw, C. P., Mitchell, M. M., O’Brennan, L. M., & Leaf, P. J. (2010). Multilevel exploration of factors contributing to the overrepresentation of Black students in office disciplinary referrals. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(2), 508-520. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018450

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Hilberth, M., & Slate, J. R. (2012). Middle school Black and White student assignment to disciplinary consequences: A clear lack of equity. Education and Urban Society, 46(3), 312-328. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124512446218

Hirschfield, P. J. (2018). The role of schools in sustaining juvenile justice system inequality. Future of Children, 28(1), 11-35. https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.2018.0001

Johnson, R. B., & Christensen, L. (2012). Educational research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches (4th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Lopez, E. L., & Slate, J. R., (2020). Ethnic/racial disparities in Discipline Alternative Education Program placements for Texas Grades 6, 7, and 8 boys: A statewide, multiyear analysis. Advances in Educational Research and Evaluation, 1(1), 33-42. https://doi.org/10.25082/AERE.2020.01.006

McCallumore, K. M. & Sparapani, E. F. (2010). The importance of the ninth grade on high school graduation rates and student success in high school. Education, 130(3), 447-456.

Neild, R. C. (2002). Falling off track during the transition to high school: What we know and what can be done. The Future of Children, 19(1), 53-76. https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.0.0020

Queen, J. A. (2002). Student transitions from middle to high school. New York, NY: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315852744

Rumberger, R. W. (2011). Dropping out. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674063167

Skiba, R. J., Arredondo, M. I., & Williams, N. T. (2014). More than a metaphor: The contribution of exclusionary discipline to a school-to-prison pipeline. Equity & Excellence in Education, 47(4), 546-564. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2014.958965

Skiba, R. J., Horner, R. H., Chung, C. G, Rausch, M. K., May, S. L., & Tobin, T. (2011). Race is not neutral: A national investigation of African American and Latino disproportionality in school discipline. School Psychology Review, 40(1), 85-107. https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.2011.12087730

Slate, J. R., Gray, P. L., & Jones, B. (2016). A clear lack of equity in disciplinary consequences for Black girls in Texas: A state-wide examination. The Journal of Negro Education, 85(3), 250-260. https://doi.org/10.7709/jnegroeducation.85.3.0250

Slate, J. R., & Rojas-LeBouef, A. (2011). Calculating basic statistical procedures in SPSS: A self-help and practical guide to preparing theses, dissertations, and manuscripts. Ypsilanti, MI: NCPEA Press.

Waller, S. K. & Waller, L. R. (2014). Alternative discipline placements in Texas. The Global eLearning Journal, 3(1).

Welsh, R. O., & Little, S. (2018). The school discipline dilemma: A comprehensive review of disparities and alternative approaches. Review of Educational Research, 88(5), 752-794. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654318791582