Suspension hurts both 'good' and 'bad' alike

A large-scale study published in the American Sociological Review tracked 17,000 students over three years and found high rates of school suspensions harmed math and reading scores for non-suspended students, reports Jane Meredith Adams for Ed Source. The study is the first to look at academic performance of students who have never been suspended, and found that higher numbers of suspensions in a semester led to lower scores on end-of-semester reading and math evaluations for non-suspended students. Author Edward Morris theorizes that this stems from anxiety and disconnection created in students when peers are subject to frequent suspensions, often for infractions like dress-code violations or insubordination. Other studies have found that schools that reduce suspension rates and institute alternative methods of conflict resolution see academics improve. "The studies I've seen are not of this magnitude," said Laura Faer of the Public Counsel Law Center, which promotes alternative disciplinary measures. Faer said that when she speaks about school discipline to groups, the number-one comment from audiences is that suspensions are necessary because "when you remove bad kids, it helps other kids learn." This new study, she said, takes research about the importance of a positive school culture and the harms of an excessively punitive culture, "to a whole different level." More

Source:  Public Education News Blast

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