Racial Disparities in School Suspension and Subsequent Outcomes: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Longitudinal cohort study (graded by design analogy for social science).
What was done
The author analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97), tracking a nationally representative cohort of White, Black, and Hispanic youth in secondary school during the late 1990s for roughly a decade after K-12. The study evaluated the prevalence and intensity of suspensions, their correlation with educational attainment and criminal justice outcomes in early adulthood, and whether racial disparities persisted after controlling for self-reported delinquent behaviors such as property and violent offenses.
What was found
Suspension affected more than 1 in 3 youth across K-12, resulting in 1 to 2 weeks of lost instructional time for the typical suspendee. Disparities were severe: 2 in 3 Black boys were suspended during K-12, and nearly 1 in 5 was suspended for 1 month or more. Among boys suspended for 10 or more days total, fewer than 50% obtained a high school diploma by their late 20s, more than 75% were arrested, and more than 33% were sentenced to correctional confinement. Substantial shares of suspended youth reported no serious delinquency prior to their first suspension, and racial gaps persisted after adjusting for misbehavior.
Why it matters
This work documents substantial racial disparities in exclusionary school discipline that are not explained by differences in self-reported delinquency, highlighting strong links between school suspensions and long-term educational failure and criminal justice involvement.
Limits
The abstract does not state the exact sample size (n), precise point estimates, or confidence intervals. The findings reflect observational correlations rather than proven causal mechanisms, and delinquency metrics rely on self-reported data subject to recall or reporting bias.
Cited by
- supports In K-12 education, boys are twice as likely to be suspended as girls on a behavior-adjusted basis, and Black boys are five times as likely.