Out-of-School Suspensions, Academic Achievement, and Juvenile Justice System Involvement Among African American and Indigenous Children

Racial disparities in out-of-school suspension (OSS) persist as a social justice concern. This study examines the associations between out-of-school suspension (OSS) and subsequent academic achievement and juvenile justice system involvement among Black and Indigenous children, controlling for exposure to multiple structural risk factors including child welfare history, poverty, disability, and emotional/behavioral disabilities. Using integrated administrative datasets from child welfare, education, and juvenile justice systems, this secondary analysis tracked a cohort of 3rd grade students (N = 60,025) attending public schools in a Midwestern state between 2008 and 2014. Results from multiple regressions indicated that OSS alone was not significantly associated with any of the academic or juvenile justice outcomes after interaction terms were included in the models. In models incorporating interaction terms, poorer academic performance and greater juvenile justice system involvement were associated with several factors, including African American and Indigenous identities, poverty, disability, and child welfare system involvement. OSS was associated with poorer academic outcomes to a significantly greater extent among Indigenous students’ academic outcomes. For Black students, the OSS experience notably increased the odds of juvenile justice involvement. The findings highlight the complexity of the relationships between OSS, intersecting social identities, and both academic and juvenile justice outcomes.