Reducing Disproportionality in

Suspensions and Positive Behavior Supports

Suzann WilsonLori Rogerson

Des Moines Public Schools

• Over-representation in DMPS suspensions

• Over-representation in juvenile justice system

• Over –representation in child welfare system

• Polk County Diversion Project

• Minority Youth and Families Initiative

Facilitator Training

• Pat Parker, NRC Staff

• DMPS Social Workers and Psychologists

• Part One: Knowing your Stakeholders

• Part Two: Relationship Building

• Part Three: Conducting Focus Groups

• Part Four: Making it Happen, Next Steps

Sample

• Minority Students with 1 < Suspensions

• Middle and High School Students

• Parent or Guardian Permission Obtained

• Parents of Students with 1< Suspensions

• Representative Population

Instrument

• Semi Structured Guide

• Questions and Probes

• Tool refined in collaboration with DMPS staff and University of Iowa NRC

• Consistent Across all Focus Groups

Questions• Let’s start with hearing, from your point of view, what

kinds of things school usually suspend students for?• Describe what you think is the main reason that schools

use suspension• Here’s some information that the school district and

community are particularly concerned about…• When a students is suspended, what do they do-what

does a day outside of school look like?• Tell me what it’s like when someone comes back to

school after being suspended?• What is one suggestion you want to make to the school

leadership for what they can do to make schools where African American and Latino students can succeed?

• Is there anything else?

Focus Groups Facilitation

• Co-Facilitators

• One Facilitator/One Recorder

• Groups Ranged from 1-3 hours

Focus Group Barriers

• Trust

• Frustration

• Child Care

• Schedules

• Unable to Provide Compensation

Focus Groups

• Student Focus Groups-5 high schools, 5 middle schools and 1 alternative building

• 81 Students Participated

• Parent Focus Groups-Held in high schools, middle schools and community locations

• 16 Parents Participated

Focus Group Data and Report

• Facilitators and Trainers• 2 Groups

• One to process student groups• One to process parent groups

• Findings and Recommendations to Generate Report:Reducing Disproportionality in Suspensions at Des Moines Public Schools: Findings and Recommendations from Focus Groups with Students and Parents

(www.uiowa.edu/~nrcfcp)

Focus Group Recommendations

1. It is incumbent upon the District to respond quickly to the request by participants for follow-up and feedback.

2. Suspension should be viewed as a process rather then as an action or event.

3. Teachers should go through a similar process.

4. District Administration and the School Board should participate the process.

Focus Group Recommendations

5. Plans for cultural competence training throughout the district should be made.

6. To ensure reduction in suspensions and disproportionality, separate goals for reducing the number of suspension and for reducing disparate rates should be set.

Background of PBS in DMPS

• Six years ago, buildings were asking for help with behavior– Began PBS in 1 MS and 1 Elementary– Training was provided for individual and

building-wide PBS– PBS is now implemented in 8 MS and 22

Elementaries

Original Goals of PBS

• Reduce or eliminate problem behaviors

• Increase academic success; recapture lost number of minutes teaching and administrative time

• School Safety

Six Major Ideas

1. Build Multiple Systems of Behavior Support• Different systems for different challenges

2. Invest in Prevention

• Build a culture of social competence• Define, teach, monitor, and reward appropriate behavior• Define, monitor and correct inappropriate behavior

3. Start with Administrative Commitment

• Top 3 Goals, Administrator on team, 80% commitment

4. Use Team-based Implementation

• No new resources (working smarter)

5. Adapt procedures to “fit” the context

• Implement sustainable practices and systems

6. Collect and use information for decision-making

SYST

EMS

PRACTICES

DATASupportingStaff Behavior

SupportingStudent Behavior

OUTCOMES

Supporting Social Competence &Academic Achievement

SupportingDecisionMaking

4 PBS Elements

Primary Prevention:School-/Classroom-Wide Systems for

All Students,Staff, & Settings

Secondary Prevention:Specialized Group

Systems for Students with At-Risk Behavior

Tertiary Prevention:Specialized

IndividualizedSystems for Students with

High-Risk Behavior

~80% of Students

~15%

~5%

CONTINUUM OFSCHOOL-WIDE

POSITIVE BEHAVIORSUPPORT

School-wide Positive Behavior Support

• School-wide positive behavior support is a set of systemic and individualized strategies for achieving social and learning outcomes while preventing problem behavior.

Does PBS also improve disproportionality of suspensions?

• Prevention: we need to have behavioral supports in place to set up students for success

• Teaching: we need to define behavioral expectations and directly teach them in all areas

• Systems: we need supportive systems in place to sustain practices with administrative support

“Suspension should be viewed as a process rather then as an action or event”

What does DMPS suspension data look like?

Number of Suspensions by Grade 2006-2007

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

PS KFirs

t

Secon

dThird

Fourth

Fifth

Sixth

Seven

th

Eight

hNint

h

Tenth

Eleve

nth

Twelth

Nu

mb

er o

f S

usp

ensi

on

s

DMPS African American and Caucasian Enrollment

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Per

cen

t o

f E

nro

llmen

t

African American

Caucasian

Percent of African-American and Caucasian Students Suspended

27.60%29.60%

26.17%24.70%

12.62% 12.98%12.06% 11.43%

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

35.00%

2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007

Percent of Students suspended

% of African- American Students Who Are Suspended % of Caucasian Students Who Are Suspended

Relative Risk RatioWhat is the risk of suspension for African

American students, compared to the risk for Caucasian students?

African American students are suspended 2.16 times compared to Caucasian students.

Relative Risk Risk for African American Students:Calculation: AA Students suspended: 1,303.2470 All AA Students: 5,275.1143 Relative Risk: 24.7%

Risk for Caucasian Students: Caucasian students suspended: 2,228 All Caucasian students: 19,488 Relative Risk: 11.43%

1.56%10+ Days

23.15%<10 Days

75.30%No

Suspensions

African American Students Suspended 2006-2007

0.55%10+ Days

11%<10 Days

88.45%No Suspensions

Caucasian Students Suspended 2006-2007

What do we have in place/planned to address disproportionality of

suspensions?

• PBS support

• Karega Rausch

• Plan to develop goals and to put recommendations in place

PBS Support

• 31 Internal Coaches

• 12 External Coaches

• 31 Liaison Support Staff for Teams

• 10 Trainers

• District Leadership Team

• 2 Supervisors

• 1 Coordinator

Consultant: Karega Rausch

• Recommendations on:– How to infuse issues of inequity into the fabric

of PBS– How to develop data systems to know if we

are making progress• Measureable outcomes

– How to create a culturally competent PBS system

Targeted Measurable Outcomes

• Reduce suspensions and expulsions

• Reduce disproportionality in suspensions and expulsions

• Reduce office referrals

• Reduce disproportionality in office referrals