Differential Policing to Differential Disciplining: Discipline Disparities in Missouri’s Public Schools

Jan 14

Discipline Disparities in Missouri’s Schools

By: Habiba Ibrahim, Ph.D.; Gary Ritter, Ph.D.; and Emily Cupito

The police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and multiple members of the African American community across the United States led to a national movement for racial justice in the summer of 2020. Of course, concerns over the unfair treatment of African Americans are not limited to policing. For several decades, studies have documented systematic racial disparities in school suspensions, with Black students being subject to exclusionary discipline at disproportionately high rates.

In response to widespread concern about the over-use of exclusionary discipline in schools since the turn of the century, out-of-school suspension (OSS) rates have been steadily declining both nationally and in Missouri. Nevertheless, the state continues to exhibit racial disparities in exclusionary discipline that are higher than the national average, according to the Office of Civil Rights. The PRiME Center examined school-level data from Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education from 2005-06 through 2018-19 to assess trends and to determine the extent to which out-of-school suspension varies between schools based on racial composition of the student body, poverty level, and locality. We focus on out-of-school suspensions as previous studies have shown that students who are suspended out-of-school are more likely to fall behind academically, become disengaged from school, drop out, or become involved with the juvenile justice system.

Overall, we found that while the use of out-of-school suspension declined in Missouri schools, large disparities persisted based on racial composition, poverty level, and locality. From 2005-06 to 2018-19, the annual rate of out-of-school suspension fell by one third, from 15.2 incidents per 100 students in 2005-06 to 10.2 incidents per 100 students in 2018-19.

Disparities

Racial differences in out-of-school suspension are stark in the state, as shown in Figure 1. Suspension rates are significantly higher in schools serving predominantly (>75%) racial minorities across all the years assessed. While overall suspension rates declined, the large racial gaps between schools increased. In 2005-06, out-of-school suspension rates were over four times higher (rate = 40.5) for schools with predominantly (>75%) racial minorities compared to those with majority (>50%) White students (rate = 6.0). By 2017-18, the suspension rates were over five times as high in predominantly minority schools.

Poverty level, as measured by free/reduced lunch, is also related to differences in suspension rates, as shown in Figure 2. Again, while overall suspensions declined, the difference in suspension rates remains stark between schools serving poor neighborhoods (>75% FRL) compared to wealthier schools. In 2005-06, suspension rates were 3.6 times higher in high-poverty schools compared to wealthier schools; in 2017-18 this ratio grew to 4.2.

Locale differences reveal a big discipline gap between schools in urban and rural areas, as shown in Figure 3. Suspension rates were three to four times higher in urban schools compared to rural schools and almost twice as high in urban schools compared to suburban schools in all the years examined. In 2009-10, rates were 4.5 times higher in urban schools (rate = 31.9) compared to rural schools (rate = 7.1). Eight years later, suspension rates in urban schools were still over three times higher (rate = 19.7) compared to those in rural areas (rate = 6.1) by the end of the 2017-18 school year.

Conclusion

While Missouri schools have reduced their overall use of exclusionary discipline, large disparities in out-of-school suspensions persist. Our analysis revealed that reducing suspensions does not necessarily translate to a decline in disparities. Minority, poorer, and more urban students in Missouri are still much more likely to be suspended out-of-school than their whiter, wealthier, and more rural peers.

In order to make further progress, Missouri schools might be eager to try alternative forms of discipline, such as those used by the biggest school districts in the country including Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. However, schools that rely on exclusionary discipline might not have the resources or the tools to know how else to handle conflict. The PRiME Center is analyzing the research on these alternatives and will share our findings with Missouri’s education community.

This blog is a snapshot of our deeper analysis in our policy brief on discipline disparities.