Unraveling the vicious cycle: suspension and academic performance in Indiana

This study critiques the use of suspension as a school disciplinary tool, highlighting its disproportionate burden on minority students and its role in perpetuating a vicious cycle of exclusion and academic disadvantage. Using administrative data from Indiana spanning the 2009–10 to 2016–17 school years, we analyze six cohorts of students transitioning from 6th to 8th grade. Applying structural equation modeling, we examine associations between cumulative suspension days and English/language arts (ELA) and math test scores across school years, accounting for student and school characteristics. The results reveal persistent negative associations between suspensions and academic performance. Black students are especially vulnerable, experiencing higher suspension days and lower scores than their White peers. A small positive association emerges between 7th-grade suspensions and 8th-grade ELA scores among Black students, but this pattern is absent for earlier grade transitions and for math scores. Moreover, this isolated finding does not offset the broader negative associations between suspension and achievement. Overall, these findings underscore the urgent need for equitable, evidence-based disciplinary policies that prioritize constructive approaches, such as restorative justice, to address behavioral concerns without disrupting learning, reduce racial disparities, and promote educational equity.