syracuse city schools discipline report

8/10/2019 Syracuse City Schools discipline report

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Elementary Suspension Rates areExtraordinarily High

Out of 5,675 districts across the nation, the 12.6percent of enrollment that Syracuse suspended(at least once) in 2009-10 ranked it among thetop 100 suspending school districts in thenation.

Based on unduplicated counts of studentssuspended at least once, not numbers ofsuspensions.

In 2011-12 the rate was the same. These are based on the number of students

suspended at least once (unduplicated).


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Syracuse Suspension Rates (Secondary) AreFar Above the National Average (09-10)

Secondary Schools National Average Syracuse Difference

ALL 11.3 30.8 +19.5

White 7.1 19.1 +12

Black 24.3 38.2 +13.9

Hispanic 12 29.5 +17.5

English Learners 11.3 15.2 +3.9

All Students withDisabilities

19.3 44.1 +24.8


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Frequent Comments You must kick out the bad kids so the good kids can learn. There are really just a few bad kids that are getting into trouble

over and over. Suggest that we should not structure schools to educate all

children, or just cant afford toOR Assume that all the behavior leading to out-of-school suspensions is

severe and/or dangerous, or will escalate to such a level. The parents and not the schools are the problem so no change is

warranted. Often conclude that there is no better way than the status quo of

high suspension rates, thus change = chaos. Fail to acknowledge that the concern about school discipline

reflects a deeper concern about academic and life outcomes for allstudents in Syracuse.


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Research Findings of Robert Balfanz etal., Johns Hopkins University (2013)

Being suspended just once in grade 9correlates with a doubling in the dropout ratefrom 16% to 32% (100% increase).

While suspension was the trigger that putsome on the path to dropping out, for most itco-occurred with other factors such as chronicabsenteeism and course failure.

A comprehensive approach is called for.


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Policy Conclusions of Robert Balfanz etal., Johns Hopkins University

Some policy and practice alternatives, such as earlywarning indicator systems, professional developmentto improve classroom management, social emotionallearning, positive schoolwide behavioral interventions

and supports, and restorative justice practices targetreductions in suspensions but also are part of broaderefforts to improve student engagement andachievement .

Interventions that seek to improve studentengagement or passing courses but ignore disciplinaryexclusion are failing to address a major factor thatcontributes to these problems.


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Suspension May Contribute toDelinquency

Shollenberger, in the first national study of its kind, trackedstudents for an average of 12 years, included discipline at everygrade, and found that suspensions did predict negative outcomes,including incarceration.

Also tracked delinquent and criminal behavior (regardless of

whether in or out of school). For most, being suspended from school came before indicators of

actual delinquent behavior (destruction of property, theft, drugsales, physical assault, gang involvement).

Suspension prior to any delinquent behavior was much morecommon for Black and Latino males than White males.

The data suggest that suspensions, especially early on, may becontributing to serious delinquency later on, and suspensiondisparities may be contributing to disparities in juvenile justiceinvolvement and criminal behavior.


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Reducing Suspensions is Not theMission

Reducing suspensions should be one of many linked goalsto serve the deeper and broader mission of improving theconditions for learning in Syracuse City Schools.

The school environment must be safe and supportive.

When you lower suspensions students and staff should feelsafer and behavior should start improving. Teachers should feel more productive. This is because there are many good ways to reduce

suspensions and eliminate their overuse, and most alsohelp improve student behavior.

I can speak from experience that limiting exclusionarydiscipline to a measure of last resort is a win-win outcome.


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All Suspensions in Syracuse(K-12) Per 100 Students Enrolled 2012-2013

Race Ethnicity Without Disabilities With Disabilities

Asian/Pacific Islander 4.1 16.1

Black 64.2 104.9

Latino 44 75.8

American Indian 40.6 21.5White 31.2 57

ALL 47.1 84.1

These numbers are muchhigher because they arecounts of suspensions, notunduplicated counts ofstudents suspended one ormore times.


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Days of Lost Instruction 2012-2013

Total of 23,555 days of lost instructionresulting from out-of-school suspension in oneyear alone.

This is a slight decrease from 24,492 in 2010-2011.

This rate is coming down based on estimates Ihave seen for the first two months.


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Can there be so many bad kids?

Over the last 15 years my two sons have: Exhibited behaviors at home that could have

gotten them suspended or expelled if they hadoccurred in school.


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Adult Roles Neither son has exhibited any of the serious bad behavior in school that

I have seen at home, and neither son has ever been suspended. I believe that my two sons are really good kids. I do reflect on and try to continuously improve my parenting because I am

at least partially responsible for the development of their sense ofappropriate behavior.

Similarly, as a teacher, when my students misbehaved, I reflected on myteaching. When I improved my teaching, the classroom misbehaviorsdeclined.

I found it helped my classroom management when I assumed that mystudents were good and made concerted efforts to find good qualities ineach student.

I learned that my ability to identify each students strengths, andcommunicate my interest and appreciation of their positive qualities didinfluence whether they behaved well or poorly.

Pedro Nogueras research f indings.


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in loco parentis means

Schools act in the place of parents. They have legal authority over the children in

their care, and can do what is necessary toeducate them, including discipline them.

It also means that schools have a moralresponsibility to meet their needs.

It is one of the primary reasons that schoolshave a great deal of discretion when it comesto discipline.


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in loco parentis also means Public school authorities should treat students like they are

their own children. Educators should not divide studentsinto the worthy good kids, and the unworthy bad kids.

Schools should invest in teaching appropriate behavior.

We are all better off when both parents and schoolsimprove in this endeavor. When children are disruptive, they need more effective

adult intervention and support, not less. If they come from a truly dysfunctional home, sending

them home is not the morally responsible intervention. Excluding children from school should be a measure of last

resort.


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Experts in Childrens Development

American Psychological Association Academy of American Pediatrics

National Association of School Psychologists Center for Disease Control

Suspension should be only utilized as a

measure of last resort.


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Three Discipline Principles

January, 2014 U.S. Department of EducationGuidance to Schools

1. Create positive climates and focus onprevention.

2. Develop clear, appropriate and consistentexpectations and consequences to addressdisruptive behaviors.

3. Ensure fairness, equity and continuousimprovement.


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Researchers and Practitioners Agree

National School Boards Association National Association of School Psychologists

NEA and AFT Council of State Governments


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June 2014 The School Discipline Consensus Report: Strategies from the Fieldto Keep Students Engaged in School and Out of the Juvenile Justice System

Law enforcement officers and juvenile justices School administrators

Teachers Unions Researchers State legislators Community groups


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Consensus Report Recommendationsand Support

The new code of conduct is aligned with theapproaches recommended by the Council ofState Governments.

Chapters contain many specific examples fromschool districts around the country. A good deal of information on school policing and

MOUs with local police that have been praised byadvocates and law enforcement alike.

There is a consensus that the status quo isunacceptable.


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Second Chances?

In-school suspension is one of manyresponses.

A short-term increase in in-school suspensionsand a decline in out-of-school suspensions isnot ideal, but more likely than not a good signof progress in Syracuse (even if problembehaviors remain high) considering thefollowing findings:


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In-school to Out-of-School Ratio Suggests FewerSecond Chances in High-Suspending Schools

In 2012-13: For each group divide the number of ISS by the number of OSS at eachschool.

A rate of 1.0 means that as many students received an OSS as received an ISS. In theory these could be the same children, or two completely different sets of

children. District wide there was almost no difference for Black and White students on this

measure (1.14 and 1.11 respectively). This suggests that for violating a school rulein Syracuse, Black and White students are almost equally likely to get an OSS as anISS.

Shows the relationship between an alternative to out of school suspension andOSS

2.0 or higher: Bellevue Elementary; Delaware, Dr. Weeks ES, Hughes ES, H.W. SmithK-8; Roberts; Salem Hyde ES; Seymour ES; Van Duyn ES

0.75 or less: Clary MS, Corcoran HS; Danforth MS; Expeditionary Learning MS;LeMoyen ES, Fowler HS; Huntington MS; Institute of Technology at SyracuseCentral; Nottingham HS


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High-suspending schools with largeracial disparities used ISS less often

All that had ISS/OSS ratio over 2 wererelatively low suspending for Black students.None were secondary schools.

All that had ISS/OSS ratio at 0.75 (or lower)suspended 25% or more of their Blackstudents except Expeditionary Learning

Middle School (20%).


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Concerns About Unconscious Bias

Race Disability Perceptions likely affected: 1) of whether an offense is even occurring; 2) the type and degree of the offense; and 3) the severity of response called for. Concrete violations like gun or drug possession

involve fewer subjective perceptions.


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Syracuse: Frequent and Disparate Use of Out-of-School Suspension forMinor Offenses Compared with Serious Violations by Race

1.2

30.0

2.5

57.0

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Offenses involving weapons, drugs,and violence with injury

All Minor Offenses

N u m

b e r

o f o u

t - o

f - s c

h o o

l s u s p e n s

i o n s p e r

1 0 0

s t u d e n t s

White: Out-of-School Suspensions per 100 Students

Black: Out-of-School Suspensions per 100 Students

Gap27

Gap1.3


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Syracuse 2012-2013: Frequent and Disparate Use of Out-of-School Suspensionfor Minor Offenses Compared with Serious Violations by Race and Disability

Status

4.0

80.0

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Serious offenses involving weapons, drugs,and violence with injury

Minor Offenses

N u m

b e r o

f o u

t - o

f - s c

h o o l s u s p e n s

i o n s p e r

1 0 0 s

t u d e n

t s

White Students with Disabilities: Out-of-SchoolSuspensions per 100 Students

Black Students with Disabilities: Out-of-SchoolSuspensions per 100 Students

Gap 36

80suspensions

44suspensions

Gap2.1


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Six Final Report Recommendations(All are underway)

Informed by, and consistent with, those in the Council of StateGovernments Consensus Report and the U.S. Department ofEducations Guidance: 1 Revise the code of conduct and evaluate its

implementation2 Actively review annual as well as quarterly data reports3 Consider replicating K-8 model4 Invest in alternatives and training so that out of school

suspension becomes a measure of last resort

5 Address the possible contribution of unconscious(implicit) bias.

6 Develop stronger protocols for school policing


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7 th Recommendation(also underway)

Establish an early warning system based onthree factors:

Chronic absenteeism Core academic course failure Behavior

For individual students, and also for schools by

grade level.


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Recommendations to Revise theSchool Code

Eliminate the use of out of school suspension forminor offences, even for repeat offenders, andstart, at least, in elementary school.

Ensure second chances, including that in-schoolsuspension is considered before out-of-schoolsuspension and that other interventions are triedbefore resorting to disciplinary exclusion.

Continuously improve the school code to ensurefairness, equity and to align with school climategoals and initiatives.


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The Revised School Code Reflects the best research Represents community input Provides a continuum of responses geared to

developmental levels of children and youth Clearly articulates rights, responsibilities and

consequences for all members of the schoolcommunity

Is based on principles of fairness, equity and serving

and educational mission Represents a tremendous first step in the rightdirection


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Study on Teacher Training Research

A study of sustained and rigorous training andsupport for teachers in randomized controlstudy.

The training program had been validated aseffective for improving instruction and studentachievement.

Discipline disparities disappeared whenteacher student engagement improved.


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Study on School Climate and Disciplinein Chicago

In Chicago, a study of all schools found that manyserving students from the highest crimeneighborhoods were rated as safe as someserving students from the lowest crime andlowest poverty neighborhoods.

The key predictor was that the effective schoolshad high ratings for teacher-student and teacher -parent engagement.

These schools felt safe to all members of theschool community and had significantly lowerrates of suspension.


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Syracuse is on the right track Growing pains: School level capacity catching up with

the change in rules and approach lag time meanssome difficult times.

Better use of data will mean better understanding

about what is working and what is not working. Expanding the tools and skills of educators takes time. Avoid blaming the code when the system of supports is

not yet implemented.

The code can help serve as a catalyst for change, butonly if the school community supports implementationwith integrity.

Teachers must be well-supported at every stage.


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Eliminating Level 1 Suspensions

Will need well staffed behavior interventioncenters with adequate space and a fullcontinuum of services and settings for thosewho need more intensive support in a morerestricted environment.

Use data and other feedback to efficiently

distribute support and resources.


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Review Discipline Data Quarterly

Annually and Quarterly Report to the public at school and district level Flag potential problems as they arise Evaluate interventions as they are implemented The new data collection and use has great

potential to help the district refine its efforts Compliment with parent survey information Safeguards to ensure accurate data reporting


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Quarterly Reports Accurate data Data that reliably predicts annual levels Data that reminds us of the impact on students

and instructional time Data that can be used to evaluate and adjust

interventions while the year is in progress. School and cross-district and grade level

comparisons Need to look at race, gender and disability andcompare disparities throughout the year


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Quarterly Report ExampleSubgroupBlack Studentsat School Z

Quarter1

2 3 4

A: Cumulative

Student CountUnduplicated

10 25 40 48 48/4 = 12

Per QuarterAverage

B: First TimeSuspendedStudent CountPer Quarter

10 15 15 8

C: CumulativeRisk = DivideRow A byenrollment

10/10010%

25/10025%

40/10040%

48/10047%

Annual48%

TotalSuspensions

23 35 38 57 153suspensions48 students

Days of LostInstruction

69 70 105 125 369


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Annual Reports Add low frequency responses such as expulsions, arrests, referral to

law enforcement and transfer to alternative school Look at trends for prior years by discipline response type: Are

arrests rising as suspensions are falling? Risks for in and out-of-school suspension calculated separately Comparison of alternative disciplinary actions with out of school

suspension Counts of suspensions by offense category Closer look at cross-sections (e.g., race with disability) Days of lost instruction School climate survey results should be analyzed along side the

empirical data on outcomes Achievement, attendance, grade retention and graduation rate data

should also be analyzed together with school climate indicators.


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Referrals to Law Enforcement May beRising

2009-10: 105 students referred to lawenforcement and 25 school-based arrests.

2011-12: 437 referred to law enforcement andzero? School-based arrests.

In 2011-12: 3.1% of all students with disabilities were

referred compared to 1.4% of students withoutdisabilities.

3.8% of all Black students with disabilities and2.2% of all White students with disabilitiesreferred.


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Effective Protocols With LawEnforcement

Collaborative effort between the district, police,community members, and juvenile justices.

Goal of improving safety while reducing school

based arrests and referrals to law enforcement. Usually entails additional training of police who

work in the school setting. Consult with Judge Steven Teske or other expert.


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Research on Restorative Practices inDenver

Most comprehensive empirical analysis ofrestorative practices ever published

Imperfect Implementation scaled-up over time Win-win results


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Restorative Practices in Denverby Thalia Gonzalez


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Academic Outcomes in Denver Between 2009 and 2013 DPS showed a steady and

substantial increase in the percentage of students scoringproficient or above on statewide tests in reading, writing,and math in all grades tested (3 -10).

In 2013, the district made overall gains from 2009 of 4percentage points in reading, 7 points in math, 6 points inwriting, and 9 points in science.

Furthermore, the average ACT scores in DPS increased from15.4 to 17.6.

On-time graduation rates also increased, from 46.4% (2009)to 51.8% (2010). During the same time, high school dropout rates decreased

from 11.1% (2006) to 6.4% (2010).


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Consider Expanding K-8

Middle schools tended to have highersuspension rates than high schools

One theory is that because being suspended iscorrelated with a dramatic increase in the riskfor dropping out, the attrition of students witha history of behavioral problems contributesto slightly lower rates of suspension in highschool (Back to risk data)


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Syracuse Suspension Risk in Grades 6-8 for MiddleSchools versus in K-8

30

55

15

2926

39

0

10

20

3040

50

60

6-8 in K8 Middle School

Grades 6-8 Disparities in 2012-2013

Black White Latino


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Racial Differences in Absolute Terms

Black/White gap for students in grades 6-8 was15 points in K8 schools and 26 points in middleschools.

The analysis excluded all elementary students. The Latino/White gap was 11 points in K8 schools

and 10 points in middle schools. Similar pattern in all three years. K8 settings in the aggregate had lower risk for

suspension for each racial group.


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Not All K8* Schools Were Lower-Suspending

0

510

15

20

2530

35

40

45

50

E. Smith Frazer Hughes Huntington H.W. Smith Roberts

Black

White

Latino


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Not All Middle Schools Were High-Suspending

010

20

30

40

50

60

70

Clary Danforth Ex.Learning

Grant Lincoln WestsideAc.

Black

White

Latino


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Are there other K-8 advantages?

Building positive relationships and consistentbehavioral expectations benefits from time inthe same environment.

There may be resource and logisticaladvantages in working with other communitysupports when there are fewer changes in

schools.

dd h bl f


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Address The Problem of UnconsciousBias

Actively review and discuss observed datadisparities in discipline.

Enlist experts to train staff on the existence and

impact of implicit bias along lines of gender, raceand disability status. Research suggests that increased awareness is

beneficial. Invest in ways to promote more positive student-

teacher and parent-teacher engagement,generally.


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Possible Next Steps Additional analysis at school level Review data use and reporting to maximize utility

and understanding

Examination of school-based arrests and referralsto law enforcement Review of school policing policies and practices Develop accurate baselines for evaluation of

progress as well as to foster meeting legalobligations


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The End

Daniel J. LosenIndependent Consultant andDirector, Center for Civil Rights Remedies of

the Civil Rights Project at UCLANew Reportshttp://www.civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/

[email protected] 781-861-1222
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

syracuse city schools discipline report

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