FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE DIFFERENCES IN SUSPENSIONS AND EXPULSIONS IN RURAL VERSUS METROPOLITAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Date
2021-08
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Austin Peay State University
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The problems addressed in this dissertation were about the differences in the number of suspensions and expulsions across secondary schools in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate a large sample of rural, independent, metropolitan, and micropolitan schools to see how exclusionary discipline differed between ethnicity/race, gender, school classification, and school diversity groups. The questions were addressed through an analysis of discipline data from the Kentucky Department of Education Safe Schools Report for the academic years 2017-18 and 2018-19. Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Racialized Organization Theory served as theoretical frameworks for this study. The findings from the examination of the sampling of suspensions and expulsions data revealed that European American students were suspended and expelled at higher averages than any other ethic/racial group. Once extreme outlier schools were excluded, European American students averaged 130 suspensions and expulsions. In addition, the results found that an average of 115 male students were suspended and expelled which is 2.5 times higher than the rate for female students. When analyzing exclusionary discipline according to the school classification, results revealed, on average, more students are suspended and expelled from metropolitan schools. Finally, an analysis of diverse schools versus schools that lack diversity found that diverse school have higher averages of suspensions and expulsions. This study confirms and highlights that male students are subjected to exclusionary discipline at greater rates than female students. In addition, metropolitan and diverse schools have more suspensions and expulsions than other comparable groups.
Keywords: exclusionary discipline, disciplinary practices, disciplinary policies, zero-tolerance, discipline gap, critical race theory, racialized organization theory
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School discipline -- Kentucky, Education, Secondary -- Kentucky, Rural schools -- Kentucky, Urban schools -- Kentucky