Ending Early Grade Suspensions. EdWorkingPaper No. 24-950

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74

Discipline; Suspension; Kindergarten; Grade 1; Grade 2; At Risk Students; Racial Differences; Academic Achievement; Behavior Problems; Educational Change; Board of Education Policy; Program Effectiveness; Public Schools; Student Behavior; Elementary School Students

We investigate the beginning of the school discipline pipeline using a reform in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools that limited the use of out-of-school suspension for students in grades K-2. We find that the reform reduced the likelihood of out-of-school suspension by 1.4 percentage points (56%) and had precise null effects on test scores and disciplinary infractions. This leads us to reject a key argument in favor of early-grade suspensions: namely, that early-grade suspensions improve classroom-level outcomes. For high-risk students, we find short-run increases in test scores that persist into third grade. The reform reduced the Black-white out-of-school suspension gap by 79%. [Author Sarah Komisarow received funding from the Duke University Office of the Provost for this work.]

As Provided

2024

ED652133