Teacher Practical Guidance:
Suspension & Expulsion
Category: Assessment & Planning
Rank Order
96
Effect Size
-0.20
Achievement Gain %
-8
How-To Strategies
Three Types of Suspension:
1. In-school suspension – limited time-out of regular class (impact: -0.10 effect size)
2. Out-of-school suspension – out of school for designated time (impact: -0.24 effect size)
3. Expulsion – removed from school (impact: -0.30 effect size)
Effective Alternatives to Suspension:
- School-wide positive behavior intervention programs (PBIS)
- Conflict resolution training
- Social skills programs
- Making class and learning more engaging and inviting – enhance student engagement
- School counseling and social skills groups
- Peer support, mentoring and mediation
- Restitution
- Positive behavior reinforcement, social or token reinforcement, behavioral consultation and groups, cognitive behavior modification
- Classroom culture change and relationship connection to adult in school (Capturing Kids Hearts)
- Youth development opportunities
References
Center on PBIS. website Link
IES (2008) Reducing behavior problems. What Works Clearinghouse (WWC). US Dept. of Educ. Link
Lester, L., et al (2017). When kids hurt other kids. Psychology 8(14). Link
Liu L. (2024). The Unintended Consequence of School Suspension: How School Suspension Impacted Future Grades and Misconduct. Child Youth Serv Rev.
Noltemeyer, A., et al (2015). Relationship between school suspension and student outcomes: Meta-analysis. School Psychology Review, 44(2) Link
Suspension & Expulsion
DEFINITIONS
When students are removed from the school permanently or temporarily.
Suspension and expulsion tend to reduce achievement because they remove students from instruction, damage their connection to school, and often start a long-term pattern of disengagement and risk. Research shows that students who are suspended or expelled are more likely to have lower grades, repeat a grade, and drop out, even when compared with similar peers who were not removed.
DATA
-
1 meta-analysis
-
24 research studies
-
7,600 students in research studies
-
1 Confidence level. Hattie (2023) p. 183
QUOTES
“Every time a student is suspended, it creates a heightened risk of school failure and significantly reduced academic achievement. You have to ask: Is it worth it? and, What alternatives are available?” Noltemeyer (2015) pg. 234.
Suspension and expulsion immediately cut off access to classroom teaching, practice, and feedback, so students miss key content and fall behind academically. Studies of exclusionary discipline link these interruptions to lower course credit accumulation, lower GPA over time, and reduced likelihood of on-time graduation. link
Being removed from school often makes students feel unwelcome, unfairly treated, or disconnected from teachers and peers, which weakens their sense of belonging and commitment to school. Lower school attachment and negative perceptions of the school environment are associated with worse grades, more misconduct, and less motivation to meet academic expectations. link
High-suspension schools tend to have worse overall academic outcomes, even for students who are never suspended, suggesting that heavy use of exclusionary discipline harms the broader learning climate. Frequent removals can increase anxiety, instability, and fragmentation in student communities, undermining the positive relationships and climate that support achievement. link