This report describes the results of a statewide study of how school disciplines relates to students’ success and juvenile justice involvement in the State of Texas. It is an extraordinary analysis of millions of school and juvenile justice records in Texas.
The study was conducted for policymaker’s understanding of who is suspended and expelled from public secondary schools and the impact of those remoals on students’ academic performance and juvenile justice system involvement.
Some key findings in the report include:
- Nearly six in ten public school students studied were suspended or expelled at least once between their seventh- and twelfth-grade school years.
- African-American students and those with particular educational disabilities were disproportionately likely to be removed from the classroom for disciplinary reasons.
- Students who were suspended and/or expelled, particularly those who were repeatedly disciplined, were more likely to be held back a grade or to drop out than were students not involved in the disciplinary system.
- When a student was suspended or expelled, his or her likelihood of being involved in the juvenile justice system the subsequent year increased significantly.
- Suspension and expulsion rates among schools—even those schools with similar student compositions and campus characteristics—varied significantly.
