Pushed Out: Harsh Discipline in Louisiana’s Schools Denies the Right to Education

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In April 2010, NESRI and its partner Friends and Families of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children (FFLIC) released the “Pushed Out” report on the steps of the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. The report analyzes data on school suspensions and expulsions and documents student surveys about the impact of harsh discipline on the right to education and dignity.

 

The report shows that Louisianaʼs expulsion rate is five times the national rate, nearly 16,000 middle and high school students drop out each year, and public schools in the state dole out over 300,000 out-of-school suspensions a year. Within the state-run Recovery School District direct operated schools, the expulsion rate is ten times the national rate and 1 in every 4 students was suspended in a single year, twice the statewide rate and over four times the national rate

 

In April 2010, NESRI and its partner Friends and Families of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children (FFLIC) released the “Pushed Out” report on the steps of the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. The report analyzes data on school suspensions and expulsions and documents student surveys about the impact of harsh discipline on the right to education and dignity.

 

The report shows that Louisianaʼs expulsion rate is five times the national rate, nearly 16,000 middle and high school students drop out each year, and public schools in the state dole out over 300,000 out-of-school suspensions a year. Within the state-run Recovery School District direct operated schools, the expulsion rate is ten times the national rate and 1 in every 4 students was suspended in a single year, twice the statewide rate and over four times the national rate

 

“Pushed Out” makes specific recommendations to change the trend, such as abandoning zero tolerance policies and implementing Positive Behavior Support approaches which, where implemented, have led to a 50% drop in suspensions and violent acts and large increases in academic performance. The report gives specific recommendations to Louisiana government for how to reduce the number of children who are pushed out of school and thereby lose their right to an education, including passing two pieces of state legislation to expand classroom management training and rewrite the state discipline statute.

Additional Resources

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