A 2015 report from the Center for Civil Rights Remedies examines out-of-school suspension rates for every district in the country, finding that some administrators suspend students with high frequency. In many districts, more than one in every ten elementary and one out of every four secondary students was suspended in 2011-12. However, suspension rates at state and district levels varied, with many districts on the lower end of the suspension-rate spectrum. State-to-state comparisons revealed substantial divides. Nationally, suspension rates are three- to four-times higher at the secondary than elementary level, with racial gaps much wider in high school. Tremendous disparities exist in suspension rates according to race, gender, and disability. Suspensions are a vast loss of instructional time for students and carry school-wide implications for graduation rates, learning environment, and juvenile crime and delinquency in the larger community. Suspension therefore must be limited to a last resort. Ultimately, improving conditions for learning by eliminating excessive and disproportionate discipline depends on wider acknowledgement of the problem and a deeper commitment to practices and policy changes informed by research. The data reveal clear and deep civil rights issues, and our nation cannot close the achievement gap until it addresses the discipline gap.

Source:  Public Education News Blast

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Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) is an education support organization that works as a collaborative partner in high-poverty communities.