Racial and Gender Disproportionality in out-of-School Suspension: A Preliminary Study

Background:

The disproportionate out-of-school suspension of minority students is a persistent social justice issue. Many public schools continue to use suspensions as a standard practice for responding to students’ misbehaviors even though they are largely ineffective in deterring these behaviors and can negatively affect children’s well-being, health and academic achievement. Although the suspension of Black boys has been an issue of concern, less attention has focused on girls or students from other ethnic communities. Hence, little is understood about any unique risks and protections arising from the intersection of racial and gender bias. This study examines racial and gender disproportionality in out-of-school suspension as a preliminary report of a larger study.

Methods:

This study utilized statewide school records from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). The study sample was 7^th graders (N=60,827) enrolled in Minnesota public schools in the academic year 2009-2010. Bivariate analyses on gender and race and the receipt of an out-of-school suspension were performed. The racial disproportionality indexes (RDI) (Children’s Bureau, 2016) were calculated as the ratio of the proportion of suspended students from the subgroup and its proportion in the general population, e.g., an RDI of 4 indicates that this subgroup is represented in out-of-school suspension at 4 times its rate in the general population.  

Results:

Of the 7^th graders, 5.5% (n=3,326) received out-of-school suspension in academic year 2009. The majority of suspended students were male (71.2%), and most suspended students (46.6%) were White students, followed by Black (34.5%), Hispanic (9.9%), Native American (6.8%), and Asian (2.2%) students. Students from non-White ethnic groups were significantly more likely to be suspended for minor offenses, e.g., truancy, insubordination, and disorderly conduct, than those who were White (χ² =99.03, p<.001). Results also indicated that Black (RDI: 4), Native American (RDI: 2.9) and Hispanic (RDI: 1.7) students were overrepresented in out-of-school suspension, while White (RDI: 0.6) and Asian (RDI: 0.4) students were underrepresented. The addition of gender resulted in changes in RDI: Black boys (4.7), Native American boys (3.8), Black girls (3.2), Hispanic boys (2.2), Native American girls (2.1), Hispanic girls (1.1), White boys (1); Asian boys (0.6), Asian girls (0.2) and White girls (0.2).

Conclusions:

This study replicates previous research indicating that minority and male students are disproportionately suspended. It adds to the literature by drawing attention to other youth, especially Native American boys and girls, and Black girls. As a group, Native American students are at risk for underachievement in school, but because their proportions in the general population is low, studies typically do not report separate findings for them. Thus, any risks they experience from out-of-school suspensions is hidden. Likewise, little research has examined any risks experienced by Black girls due to the intersection of racial and gender discrimination. Additional research is needed to explore any unique risks and protections for out-of-school suspensions, and any negative developmental outcomes that result, for boy and girls from various ethnic communities. Such research is needed to design preventive interventions that successfully address the social justice issue of disparities in OSS.