Southern hospitality? Exploring the prevalence of and disparities in exclusionary discipline in the U.S. South

Abstract

School discipline is an important education policy and equity issue given the prevalence and impact of exclusion. This study examines both out-of-school (OSS) and in-school (ISS) suspensions in the American South using district-level data for the 2011–12, 2013–14, 2015–16, and 2017–18 academic years from the Civil Rights Data Collection. In the past decade, the ISS rate in the South (9.46 percent) was the highest suspension rate across both suspension types and regions. The Black ISS rate in the South (15.36 percent) is the highest suspension rate across suspension types and regions. Between 2012 and 2018, both ISS and OSS rates have remained high and Black-White disparities are persistent in the South. We find that Black-White disparities in suspensions are larger in predominantly White and predominantly Latinx districts in the South, although the prevalence of suspensions are larger in predominantly Black districts. When examining the district and neighborhood characteristics that predict suspensions in the South, we find that racial and socioeconomic composition, especially the Black-White income gap significantly predict both prevalence and disparities. We also explore and predict Inclusive Disciplinary Districts (IDDs), or districts that are beating the school discipline odds with both low prevalence and disparities in ISS and OSS. We find that although some IDDs exist in the South, they are primarily majority White non-urban districts, not predominantly Black or urban districts. The results underline the need for interventions that reduce disparities (and not only prevalence).