Special Education Report Roundup

School Discipline

By Christina A. Samuels — January 22, 2019 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Race—but not whether a student is enrolled in special education—appears to be a driver of disproportionate suspension rates, finds a new study in the Journal of School Psychology.

Black students overall received twice as many suspensions by the end of 8th grade as otherwise similar white peers, it found. But being in special education was not linked to having a higher rate of suspension after controlling for other factors.

Students in certain disability categories, such as emotional and behavior disturbance or speech and language impairment, were not at increased risk of suspension. Also, the study found students with disabilities who are black or Hispanic were not suspended more frequently than students with disabilities who are white.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the January 23, 2019 edition of Education Week as School Discipline

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Classroom Technology Webinar
How to Leverage Virtual Learning: Preparing Students for the Future
Hear from an expert panel how best to leverage virtual learning in your district to achieve your goals.
Content provided by Class
English-Language Learners Webinar AI and English Learners: What Teachers Need to Know
Explore the role of AI in multilingual education and its potential limitations.
Education Webinar The K-12 Leader: Data and Insights Every Marketer Needs to Know
Which topics are capturing the attention of district and school leaders? Discover how to align your content with the topics your target audience cares about most. 

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Special Education Letter to the Editor Schools Must Do Better to Meet IDEA Requirements
More states must follow through on this law.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Special Education Test Your Knowledge: How Does Universal Screening for Dyslexia in Schools Work?
Take our quiz to gauge your knowledge of the language processing disorder—and find links to further reading.
1 min read
 Conceptual image of wooden alphabet tiles scattered across blue metallic surface.
iStock/Getty
Special Education Letter to the Editor Reevaluating My Language Around Disability
A recent opinion essay encouraged this teacher to unpack her approach to labeling students with specific disability classifications.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Special Education Can AI Write a Good IEP? What Special Education Experts Say
AI tools could ease paperwork burdens and offer new supports for students—but privacy and efficacy concerns are real.
3 min read
Image of a plan with a goal, with a digital texture.
Collage via iStock/Gettty