In-School as the Suspension of Choice: Nationwide Prevalence
Research Spotlight
Richard O. Welsh, Luis A. Rodriguez, Blaise Joseph, Kathryn James McGraw, and Tia Williams
April 10, 2024
The overall rate of the use of in-school suspensions (ISS) (5.42%), in the decade prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (2012-2018), was slightly higher than that of out of school suspensions (OSSc-5.08%). Hence we start the state of school discipline with a look at the overall and race-specific prevalence of ISS across the South, West, Midwest, and Northeast. ISS rates vary substantially between regions of the country and between students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Black students experiencing the highest rates of exclusion via ISS across the country as a whole and within any specific region. At the national level, 9.8 percent of Black students experience ISS. Nationally, the rate at which Black students receive an ISS is roughly 5 times the rate of Asian students (1.74 percent) and double the rate of White students (4.77 percent).
The ISS rate in the South (9.46%) is the highest suspension rate across both suspension types (ISS and OSS) and regions. The ISS rate of the South is roughly double that of the West (3.70%), Midwest (4.72%), and Northeast (3.61%) regions.
ISS rates for Black (15.36%), Latinx (8.26%), and multi-racial (11.60%) students are highest in the South. The Black ISS rate in the South is the highest suspension rate across suspension types and regions. The ISS rate for Black students in the South is almost double the ISS rate for Black students in any other region. For Latinx students, the ISS rate in the South is also markedly higher (roughly at least 3 percentage points higher) than ISS rates in other regions. ISS rates for White students are highest in the South.
Notes. Regions as classified by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). “South” includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia. “West” includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming. “Midwest” includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin. “Northeast” includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont. ARD is the Absolute Risk Difference, which is the White rate subtracted from the Black or Latinx or Multi-Race rate. RRR is the Relative Risk Ratio, which is the Black or Latinx or Multi-Race rate divided by the White rate. Rates are an average of 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018.
Reducing Prevalence, especially in the South
First, there is a need to distinguish the suspension types, when available, in school discipline research and policy. Even though millions of students receive ISS nationwide, researchers largely overlook ISS due in part to data limitations. OSS typically receives the bulk of the research and policy attention, yet a shift away from OSS may also be accompanied by a greater reliance on ISS.
Second, reducing the prevalence of ISS in the South is a national school discipline goal.
Third, reducing the prevalence of ISS, particularly for Black students nationally and Latinx and multiracial students in the South is a national school discipline goal.