Improving Equity in Student Discipline

Improving Equity in Student Discipline Calandra Sechrist, Director, Equity and Civil Rights Joshua Lynch, Program Supervisor, Student Discipline, Beha...
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Improving Equity in Student Discipline Calandra Sechrist, Director, Equity and Civil Rights Joshua Lynch, Program Supervisor, Student Discipline, Behavior, and Readiness to Learn Sarah Albertson, Program Supervisor, Equity and Civil Rights

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction BEST Spring Symposium│ March 11, 2016

3.9% of all students in Washington were suspended or expelled in 2014–15

44,655 students in total

Discipline Rates by Race* 10% 9%

8.6%

8%

7.5%

7% 6%

5.4%

5% 4%

5.0%

4.5% 3.9% 3.3%

3% 2% 1.2% 1% 0% All

American Indian/AK Native

Asian

*Percent of enrolled students who were suspended or expelled

Black/African Hispanic/Latino Native Two or More Am Hawaiian/Other Races Pac Island

White

Discipline Rates by Disability* 10% 9% 8%

7.8% 7.0%

7%

6% 5%

4.1% 4%

3.5%

3% 2% 1% 0%

Special Education

Non Special Education

*Percent of enrolled students who were suspended or expelled

504

Non 504

Identify a time when you chose an alternative to suspension for a student—or an alternative to discipline for your own child. Share the circumstances and why you chose an alternative.

Cause and effect

Increased risk for course failure, lower attendance, dropping out

Increased contact with the juvenile justice system

Cumulative effects

Every student ready for career, college, and life

Are we giving each student an

equal chance to succeed?

DRAFT

ESSB 5946: Strengthening Student Educational Outcomes • Learning Assistance Program (LAP) expanded to include reducing disruptive behaviors in the classroom and Readiness To Learn (RTL) • Discipline Data disaggregation and reporting • Data-informed decision-making and best practices implementation requirements



In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. Such an opportunity…is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms. Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954)





No person in the United States shall, on the ground of [race, color, national origin, sex, or disability] be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of,

or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.



Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 | Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 | Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972

Student discipline can result in unlawful discrimination in

two ways

Dear Colleague Letter, January 8, 2014 (U.S. Departments of Education and Justice) www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201401-title-vi.html

Different Treatment When a school disciplines a student differently based on their protected class (e.g., race, sex, disability)

Disparate Impact When a school policy, procedure, or practice is neutral on its face, and administered in an evenhanded manner, but has an adverse impact on students of any protected class

Data-Informed Decision-Making Plan: Analyze the data and identify root causes Do: Decide on a plan and implement Study: Evaluate and monitor progress Act: Adjust your plan, if necessary

Dig into your data

Dig into your data Dig into the data How many students are suspended or expelled? Who is suspended or expelled?

How long are they removed? For what behaviors?

An example: Suspension / Expulsion Rate

100 students in the district 20 were suspended one or more times

Suspension Rate

20 students suspended 100 total students

= 20%

Dig into your data Dig into the data How many students are suspended or expelled? Who is suspended or expelled?

How long are they removed? For what behaviors?

An example: Enrollment Overview

100 students in the district 40% are boys 60% are girls

An example: Proportionality—Using Composition Index

100 students in the district 40% are boys S S S S S

S S S S S

S S S S S

Composition Index Boys are 80% of suspensions Boys are 40% of student enrollment

=2

S S S S S

80% of suspensions are boys S

The percentage of suspensions who are boys is 2 times greater than their percentage in the student population.

Measuring Disproportionality: Composition Index The closer the composition index is to one, the more proportionate the discipline rate is for that specific group. Numbers greater than one indicate the group makes up more of the suspensions/expulsions than their representation in the population generally.

www.k12.wa.us/DataAdmin/PerformanceIndicators/DataAnalytics.aspx

Dig into your data Dig into the data How many students are suspended or expelled? Who is suspended or expelled?

How long are they removed? For what behaviors?

Behaviors Associated with Suspensions or Expulsions 2014-2015 40%

American Indian/Alaskan Native Asian

35% 30% 25%

Black/African American Hispanic/Latino

Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander Two or More Races White

20%

15% 10% 5% 0%

Chart reads: Among suspension or expulsions of black students, 22% of those incidents were attributed to disruptive conduct 31

Consider your own district’s data: 1. What disparities do you see? 2. Do they surprise you? 3. To determine why these disparities exist, what questions would you ask?

The power of awareness

33

Discover the Root Causes

Deepen Your Understanding Beyond the Numbers Meaningful conversations with students, families, and staff Policies and handbooks Student discipline records

Laws and regulations School climate surveys

Explore Possible Explanations For example: •

School climate & learning

environment •

Capacity issues



Intervention issues



Explicit and implicit bias



Policy issues



Attitudes, knowledge, & behavior

Discipline Policies & Codes of Conduct • Are definitions clear and nondiscriminatory? • Are consequences clear, developmentally appropriate, and proportional?

• Are students removed only as a last result? • Are due process protections provided?

Equity and Implementation Fidelity Put Your Plan into Practice • Outcome-Oriented Goals and Expectations • Staff Preparedness and Ongoing Training

• Adequate Resources

Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)

Diversify Intervention Types “I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.” –Abraham Maslow

Think BIG Start small

Best Practices & Prevention Strategies • • • • • •

Family involvement Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support Trauma-informed care De-escalation techniques Community Partnerships Restorative Practices

Equity Assessment and Monitoring Reducing the Use of Exclusionary Practices Does not necessarily

• Reduce Disparities in Discipline • Support Academic Achievement & SocialEmotional Learning

Evaluate, Adapt, and Repeat What is Needed? • More Time

• Extra Personnel or Professional Development • New or Additional Strategies

Contact Us! Equity and Civil Rights Office Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction 360-725-6162 | TTY: 360-664-3631 Email: [email protected]

www.k12.wa.us/equity

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