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School Discipline, Race–Gender and STEM Readiness: A Hierarchical Analysis of the Impact of School Discipline on Math Achievement in High School

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Abstract

While research on school suspensions and its impact on students is not new, scholars have not yet explored whether there is a link between school suspensions and high school students’ preparation for success in STEM. Using nationally representative data, this study explored the relationship of suspensions to math outcomes while considering race–gender intersections and school social control. Our findings confirm that both in and out-of-school suspensions significantly lower math achievement in high school even after controlling for a host of individual and school factors. More so, the effect of suspensions on math achievement persists over time. The analysis reveals that suspended students scored lower in math 2 years after the suspensions occurred after controlling for individual and school characteristics, and prior math achievement. The study also found an overrepresentation of racialized students among those suspended. The paper concludes with a discussion and implications for policies, practice and research.

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Notes

  1. The standardized score provides a norm referenced measurement of achievement, that is, an estimate of achievement relative to the population (spring 2002 10th graders) as a whole. The standardized score is a transformation of the ability score, rescaled to a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10 (NCES 2004).

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Funding

Work on this paper has been funded by the National Science Foundation (#1619843).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, Washington University in St. Louis, Mailing: 1 Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1183, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA

    Habiba Ibrahim

  2. Education and Sociology (Joint), Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, USA

    Odis Johnson Jr

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  1. Habiba Ibrahim
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Correspondence to Habiba Ibrahim.

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Ibrahim, H., Johnson, O. School Discipline, Race–Gender and STEM Readiness: A Hierarchical Analysis of the Impact of School Discipline on Math Achievement in High School. Urban Rev 52, 75–99 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-019-00513-6

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