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National estimates show that during the 2015–16 school year, nearly 11.4 million days of instruction were lost due to out-of-school suspensions. Disciplinary actions that remove students from the classroom, coupled with lost instruction caused by COVID-19, have resulted in high rates of learning loss, particularly for students of color and students with disabilities. As students’ opportunities to learn continue to diminish, educational inequities persist.
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Those of us who work in education must acknowledge that our school systems have been complicit in perpetuating systemic racism, including through the criminalization and marginalization of Black children. Our goal in this moment must be to dismantle these discriminatory policies and replace them with approaches that honor the dignity of the lives of Black children as they do of all children.
Jessica CardichonLinda Darling-HammondMan YangCaitlin ScottPatrick M. ShieldsDion Burns
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Access to fully certified and experienced teachers matters for student outcomes and achievement, yet many states have hired uncertified and inexperienced teachers to fill gaps created by persistent teacher shortages. These teachers are disproportionately found in schools with high enrollments of students of color, according to LPI analysis of the most recent U.S. Department of Education Civil Rights Data Collection, which has proposed cutting key data collection questions related to school funding and educator experience.
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This letter from LPI to the U.S. Department of Education addresses the Department’s proposal to eliminate key questions from the biannual Civil Rights Data Collection. These data are gathered by the Department’s Office for Civil Rights and shed light on inequities in educational opportunities for students, providing valuable information for researchers, advocates, and policymakers.
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In 2018, the Trump administration rescinded voluntary federal guidance intended to help states end exclusionary and discriminatory school discipline practices. Many states had implemented policies based on evidence-based approaches outlined in the guidance and have seen lower rates of suspensions and expulsions among all students, including students of color, and other benefits. Loss of that guidance removes an important set of resources available to states and districts to end harmful practices.
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Too many U.S. schools employ harsh, zero-tolerance discipline policies resulting in suspensions and expulsions for minor offenses that can push students out of school and onto a path to prison. A new report by the Learning Policy Institute shares the research on the negative impacts of zero-tolerance and exclusionary discipline policies, provides details on research-based approaches that actually make schools more safe and inclusive, and addresses the potential consequences of the Trump administration’s rescission of federal discipline guidance.
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Public schools are increasingly segregated along both racial and socioeconomic lines, and many of the most extremely segregated schools are also the most under-resourced, plagued by inexperienced educators, lack of access to quality curriculum, and lack of quality facilities or access to technology. Two new LPI reports look at the roles the federal government, states, and districts play in promoting racially diverse learning environments.
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Public schools are increasingly segregated along both racial and socioeconomic lines and many of the most extremely segregated schools are also the most under-resourced, plagued by inexperienced educators, lack of access to quality curriculum, and lack of quality facilities or access to technology. Although integrated education is not a panacea, diverse learning environments benefit all students and the federal government plays a critical role in fostering school diversity.
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Grassroots organizing and movement building to combat the school-to-prison pipeline has focused on ending zero-tolerance and exclusionary discipline policies and implementing more humane alternatives, such as restorative justice. This movement is winning policy victories through the combination of research-based evidence and the personal stories of parents and students who are directly impacted by injustice, and by building broader alliances to bring more resources and clout to their efforts.
Stephen KostyoJessica CardichonLinda Darling-Hammond
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Suspensions from school can disrupt student learning and inhibit students’ success. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides opportunities for states to address suspension rates and other non-academic indicators that affect student success. This brief describes how states can use data on suspensions, what some states are doing, and policies to reduce suspension rates. It is part of the report Making ESSA’s Equity Promise Real: State Strategies to Close the Opportunity Gap.
