Recent Trends in State Legislative Exclusionary Discipline Reform

Every year, millions of students are suspended and expelled from school, including a disproportionate number of students of color. Removing students from their learning environment without providing supports and interventions to address their misbehavior can lead to negative social and academic outcomes. Seeing a recent wave of legislative action taking on the task of school discipline reform, Committee for Children scanned all 50 states for action on this topic and analyzed trends. We specifically tracked whether states were supporting educators in proposing replacement strategies, such as social-emotional learning or restorative justice practices, and whether they are providing funding, implementation guidance and support, and professional learning to effectuate such strategies. Download the Policy Brief (PDF)