Variation and Disparities in Exclusionary Discipline Rates in North Carolina Elementary Schools

Abstract

This project reinforces prior research demonstrating inequitable suspension rates in North Carolina public elementary schools. Using school-level data from publicly available sources, I found most elementary schools use suspensions as a mechanism to discipline inappropriate student behavior, but there is considerable variation in rates at the school and county level. I also found that Black students had higher rates of both in-school and out-of-school suspension rates compared to white students and rates for all students.

However, some schools across the state prove that there are potential policies and procedures that schools can use to reduce their suspension rates and subsequently improve student outcomes. This project compared actual suspension rates to predicted rates based on school-level observable characteristics, and found that a majority of schools with both lower than expected in-school and out-of-school suspension rates are located in 3 counites: Guilford, Cumberland, and Mecklenburg. This group of schools had considerably lower average rates for all students and for Black students, though the gap between white and Black student rates persisted.