The school-to-prison pipeline needs to be better defined and redirected toward greater opportunities for all youth.

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Research has found that, in 2006, over 28 per cent of Black male middle school students had been suspended at least once, nearly three times the rate for White males. Other research has revealed racial disparities in discipline, including disproportionately high numbers of Black students being removed from class on discretionary discipline grounds, while Whites had higher rates of punishment for nondiscretionary offenses. Several studies have shown that being suspended significantly increased the risk of dropping out and future contact with the juvenile justice system. This article examines what we know about racial disparities in out‐of‐school suspensions in light of research on school discipline policy. The article explores the implications of this knowledge for civil rights enforcement and making improvements. Keypoints Argument that sound educational practice can replace excessive suspensions with alternatives that address misbehavior but keeps students in school. Unpacks common misconceptions in defense of frequent use of suspensions with research on the harm of this common practice. Analyzes the national data that should raise serious concerns about the use of out‐of‐school suspensions. Makes clear recommendations for federal and state policymakers, educators and civil rights enforcement.

In this technical comment, we argue that Morgan et al.’s claim that there is no minority overrepresentation in special education is in error due to (a) sampling considerations, (b) inadequate support from previous and current analyses, and (c) their failure to consider the complexities of special education disproportionality.

Monitoring requirements in the 1997 amendments to and 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) acknowledged the existence and extent of racial/ethnic disproportionality in special education, especially when, in 2004, Congress designated this concern among the top three priority areas for monitoring and enforcement of the law. However, federal interpretations of the 2004 requirements have created confusion at the State (SEA) and Local Education Agency (LEA) levels. This article analyzes data from state Annual Performance Reports to assess the progress made in identifying disproportionality. Though high levels of disproportionality remain, an increasing number of states are finding no LEAs with disproportionality when it must be shown that the disproportionality was caused by inappropriate identification. The analyses provided suggest that federal interpretations of IDEA 2004 have not been effective in addressing disproportionate representation in special education. Recommendations for improving policy to remedy this serious problem are provided.

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During the 1990s and early 2000s, federal and state policies encouraged the implementation of zero-tolerance policies across the country, which helped fuel an overall increase in the use of suspension and expanded racial disparities in suspension. Recent changes in policy and practice have begun to shift educators away from exclusionary discipline, and we review those changes and trends in this report. We examine out-of-school suspension data from the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), tracking trends over time. We also assess differences in suspension rates of students based on their race and ethnicity, school level, and disability status. We present data at national and state levels, and because out-of-school suspensions are concentrated in secondary schools, we focus our state-level findings on secondary school students. We explore the ways in which changes in suspension rates may be related to changes in policy, and we make recommendations for additional strategies to reduce school exclusion for all students, and in particular for those who have disproportionately experienced its negative effects.