Jacobsen Wade C, Pace Garrett T, Ramirez Nayan G
University of Maryland.
University of Michigan.
Soc Forces. 2019 Mar;97(3):973-998. doi: 10.1093/sf/soy072. Epub 2018 Jul 6.
We advance current knowledge of school punishment by examining (1) the prevalence of exclusionary discipline in elementary school, (2) racial disparities in exclusionary discipline in elementary school, and (3) the association between exclusionary discipline and aggressive behavior in elementary school. Using child and parent reports from the Fragile Families Study, we estimate that more than 1 in 10 children born 1998-2000 in large US cities were suspended or expelled by age nine, when most were in third grade. We also find extreme racial disparity; about 40% of non-Hispanic black boys were suspended or expelled, compared to 8% of non-Hispanic white or other-race boys. Disparities are largely due to differences in children's school and home environments rather than to behavior problems. Next, consistent with social stress and strain theories, we find suspension or expulsion associated with increased aggressive behavior in elementary school. This association does not vary by race but is robust to a rich set of covariates, individual fixed-effects, and matching methods. In conjunction with what we find for racial disparities, our results imply that school discipline policies relying heavily on exclusionary punishment may be fostering childhood inequality.
（1）小学中排除性纪律处分的发生率；（2）小学中排除性纪律处分的种族差异；（3）小学中排除性纪律处分与攻击性行为之间的关联。利用脆弱家庭研究中的儿童和家长报告，我们估计，1998年至2000年在美国大城市出生的儿童中，超过十分之一的儿童在九岁时（大多数处于三年级）被停学或开除。我们还发现了极端的种族差异；约40%的非西班牙裔黑人男孩被停学或开除，相比之下，非西班牙裔白人或其他种族男孩的这一比例为8%。差异主要归因于儿童学校和家庭环境的不同，而非行为问题。其次，与社会压力和紧张理论一致，我们发现停学或开除与小学中攻击性行为的增加有关。这种关联不因种族而异，但在一系列丰富的协变量、个体固定效应和匹配方法下都很稳健。结合我们在种族差异方面的发现，我们的结果表明，严重依赖排除性惩罚的学校纪律政策可能正在加剧儿童时期的不平等。
