Masters Thesis

Disproportionate Representation of School Discipline and its Effect on Student Achievement

The purpose of this study was to explore the disproportionate representation of school discipline and the effects on academic achievement for African American students. The study examined the suspension and referrals for African American students, the identified behavior, and the location of the incidents. The study also examined the academic achievement of the African American students to understand the relationship between discipline and student achievement. The study was conducted in a middle school in San Bernardino, California with a student population of 818 students. The ethnicities of the students were African American, Latino, Asian, and White. The researcher used quantitative research with descriptive statistics by analyzing academic data and disciplinary data. Based on the data, the researcher found although African American students accounted for slightly more than 9% of the student population, they represented approximately 20% of the total suspensions. Recommendations for the school include incorporating programs such Restorative Justice and Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBiS) with a focus on teacher training to build cultural competency.

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