School discipline disparities increase when neighborhood Black population changes

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Education Policy
• Urban Studies

Background:

• Neighborhood demographics in the US have undergone significant racial shifts over the last decade.
• These demographic changes raise critical questions about their reflection within local school systems.
• Understanding the intersection of neighborhood racial change and school environments is crucial for addressing educational equity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between neighborhood racial change, specifically shifts in Black populations, and changes in Black-white school suspension disparities.
• To analyze how these disparities evolved between 2010 and 2018 in various neighborhood contexts.
• To assess the effectiveness of school discipline reforms in mitigating racial disparities in different geographical settings.

Main Methods:

• Utilized school zone shapefiles combined with census data and Civil Rights Database information.
• Employed quantitative analysis to explore correlations between neighborhood racial composition changes and school suspension data.
• Focused on the period from 2010 to 2018 to capture recent trends.

Main Results:

• Racial disparities in school suspensions widened significantly during the study period.
• These increases were particularly evident in neighborhoods experiencing substantial shifts in Black populations.
• Disparities were most pronounced in suburban and rural areas with changing Black populations, and in predominantly White neighborhoods.
• School discipline reforms led to a decline in disparities only in specific contexts, notably urban areas.

Conclusions:

• Neighborhood racial change is a significant predictor of evolving racial disparities in school discipline.
• Existing school discipline reforms have had uneven success, highlighting the need for context-specific strategies.
• Findings underscore the complex interplay between residential segregation, neighborhood change, and racial stratification within educational systems, with implications for policy interventions.