Black Preschoolers Suspended More than Whites

Black Preschoolers Suspended More than Whites

New government data reveals racial disparities in schools extend even to pre-school. "It is clear that the United States has a great distance to go to meet our goal of providing opportunities for every student to succeed," Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says

Black students in American public schools are significantly more likely than white students to be suspended and the racial disparity begins even as early as preschool, according to a new governement report.

The data released by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights portrays significant racial disparities that persist across the public education system. Black students, for instance, represent just 18 percent of preschool enrollment but 42 percent of the students who are suspended once. Only about 60 percent of public school districts offer some form of preschool. The report notes that suspended students are more likely to be suspended again and less likely to graduate.

The Civil Rights Data Collection for the 2011-2012 school year shows that more than 8,000 public preschoolers were suspended at least once, with black children and boys bearing the brunt of the discipline. Black youngsters make up about a fifth of all preschool pupils but close to half the children suspended more than once. Boys of all races represent 54 percent of the preschoolers included in the report but more than 80 percent of those suspended more than once.

The same research also indicates that suspension and expulsion rates plunge when teachers feel competent about working with challenging young children and supporting their emotional development.

The 2011-2012 data collection is the first time the Education Department gathered information on preschool discipline. The report outlines a number of education disparities; for example, black children face more discipline and have less acess to high level courses and experienced teachers. Thirteen percent of children with disabilities receieve out-of-school suspensions, compared with 6 percent of those with disabilities.

The data collection also only accounts for preschoolers who are in programs based in public schools. The universe of other settings for young children, such as private providers who have state-funded slots for preschoolers, is not a part of the statistics. The department also collected data on about 220 expulsions nationwide, but it did not offer further analysis on those numbers becuase the expulsions came from such a small number of schools.