A Holistic Approach to Ending Exclusionary Discipline for Young Learners
Data show that exclusionary discipline starts early, happens often, and is consistently disproportionately applied to Black children, children with disabilities, and boys. This issue has been the topic of much discussion and policy movement over the last decade since federal preschool suspension data were first published by the US Department of Education showing high rates and stark disparities. Today, preschool suspensions in public preschool settings have dropped substantially, but stark racial disparities remain. The state of early childhood suspensions and expulsions in child care remain unknown in most states.
This patchwork, inadequate, and insufficient progress is driven by a lack of holistic, multidimensional solutions applied to this complex problem. In this new report, the Children's Equity Project reviews the state of the data, explores root causes, and presents a multidimensional, holistic framework that policymakers can use to make meaningful progress in reducing the rate, and importantly, eliminating disparities in exclusionary discipline.
Suggested citation:
Allen, R., Meek, S.E., Alexander, B.L., Palomino, C., Blevins, D., Catherine, E., Mclntosh, K., Hemmeter, M, Powell, T., Soto-Boykin, X. (2022). A Holistic Approach to Ending Exclusionary Discipline for Young Learners: A Review of the Data, Research, and Multidimensional Solutions. The Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University. Retrieved from: https://cep.asu.edu/resources/exclusionary-discipline