A THREAD w facts and prelim analysis re DC’s Discipline Data: Thank you to @OSSEDC for a detailed, thorough discipline report for SY18-19. Good news: Out of school suspensions (OSS) continue to decrease overall. But there is still a lot of work to do. 1/

Black students continue to be disciplined at higher rates than their non-Black peers. Black students make up ~66% percent of DC’s student population, but account for ~90% of students who received an out-of-school suspension. 2/

Students id'd as at-risk were almost 3x more likely to receive at least 1 out-of-school suspension as students who were not at-risk. (At-risk is defined as students who are homeless, in foster care, qualify for TANF/SNAP, or are 1 year+ than then expected age for grade & HS.) 3/

Students w disabilities (SWD) made up 31% of the suspended pop but only represented 16% of the total student pop. In SY2018-19, SWD were 2x as likely to receive at least 1 out-of-school suspension as students who were not identified as having a disability. 4/

Students with a primary disability of Emotional Disturbance (ED) are almost 6.5 times more likely as students with other primary disabilities to receive an out-of-school suspension. Ed. Note: This are kids who have likely suffered significant trauma. 5/

Students in 6th through 8th = nearly 37% of all OSS. 9th graders = the highest rate (16%) of OSS, followed by 8th (13%), 7th (12%), and 6th grade (12%). More than 1 out of 8 middle school students missed instructional time as a result of an OSS during the 2018-19 school year. 6/

“While suspensions are primarily concentrated in grades 6-8, they are even further concentrated at a handful of neighborhood middle schools. Although middle school students represent a high proportion of suspensions, the majority of suspensions occurred at several campuses.” 7/

“Kelly Miller MS, Kramer MS, Eliot-Hine MS, Johnson MS, Hart MS, and Jefferson MS acct'd for 33% of all students receiving an OSS in grades 6 thru 8 while serving only 14% of students in grades 6 thru 8. Each of these middle school campuses is located in Wards 6, 7, or 8.” 8/

"The discipline data suggests that middle schools with high rates of suspension may need additional supports to address the specific needs at those campuses…." 9/

"Resources, supports, & interventions focusing on conflict resolution & appropriate behaviors may help address a high proportion of middle school disciplinary actions.” 10/

Ed. Note1: We really need more trauma-informed services in our schools as well. Kids need help to heal. This all sounds like more RJ folks, social workers, and clinicians to us, not security & SROs. 11/ #CounselorsNotCops #PoliceFreeSchools

KEY“[MS] discipline patterns carried into the 9th grade influence a student’s chances of graduation. Discipline incidents during [9th grade], frequently predicted by discipline incidents in [MS], can have significant implications on a student’s educational trajectory.” 12/

33% of students who received an OSS during their 1st 9th grade year in SY17-18 were retained in the 9th grade during the SY18-19, compared to 9% who did not receive an OSS. 13/

"Being retained in the 9th grade decreases the likelihood that a student will graduate from high school, underlining the importance of addressing behavioral challenges before the ninth grade so that students are ready to succeed in high school and beyond." 14/

Ed. note2: There is a likely a cohort that we are pushing out starting in MS that can & should be identified & provided with more effective interventions. In a world where DCPS has 1 guard per 147 students but only 1 social worker per 217 students, we can do much better. 15/

Ed. Note3: While it has become obvious by MS which students may need more support, I bet we know in elementary or b4 & could start interventions then. 16/

This is the importance of the public health approach. So it’s not just about more resources for middle schools, but also for elementary schools, early intervention, and pre-birth to 3. 17/

Ed. Note4: It would be really helpful if @OSSEDC wld provide a breakdown of students suspended looking at intersectionality, i.e., for all students suspended, what % are Black, Black/At-risk, Black/At-risk/SWD, White, White/At-Risk, White/At-risk/SWD, etc., by gender. 17/

Ed. Note5: Now is the time to be investing significantly more in school-based mental health, RJ, and other student supports. #MentalWellnessWins #StudentFairAccess 18/

We can make our schools safer by investing in our young people, not by spending more on security or police officers. #ReimagineSafety #PoliceFreeSchools #CounselorsNotCops #JustRecoveryDC 19/

Again, thank you to @OSSEDC for this report. Every year, their analysis goes deeper and provides us with even more information upon which to make data-driven decisions about how to best support our youth. You can read the report for yourself here: https://bit.ly/3fGw2fL  20/20