Cassandra Nelson

Oakland University

High Suspension Rates in Urban Elementary Schools

Background and Problem

I am a Math Master Teacher at an elementary school on the west side of Detroit. I teach

one fourth grade math class and one fifth grade math class. I spend the rest of my day

supporting the other math teachers in the building. I support six math teachers, kindergarten

through fifth grade. Many of our students have 504 plans, and many more do not. Suspension

rates are extremely high, especially in the colder months when outdoor recess is not a

possibility.

Our School Improvement Team has recorded 26 suspensions for the month of February

2018. Suspensions usually occur during fourth and fifth periods, just after lunch and recess

time. Many of our students come from vastly different socio-economic backgrounds from our

teachers. I grew up in the neighborhood that my school is located in, and I was raised with a

middle-class SES. Since the housing market crash, many lower-class families were able to move

into the neighborhood. Therefore, we have a very diverse SES range within one building.

Many of the other teachers come from a middle-class background as well and have

different cultural norms from our students. Many students are suspended for getting angry or

disruptive after lunch and recess. 18 suspensions in the month of February were due to

classroom disruptions, and the remaining 8 were due to fights in the classroom.
HIGH SUSPENSION RATES IN URBAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Research Application

According to Arthur Whaley (2018), “research suggests an internally valid operational

definition of stereotype threat relevant to the African American students’ experience is the

expectation of, and reactions to, interviewer or teacher bias.” Teacher biases can create a

stereotype threat in a school where one has African American students with non-African

American teachers and teachers from different SES backgrounds (Whaley 2018). Research

shows that there is a miscommunication between a student’s actions and whether or not the

teacher holds the proper classroom management expertise to handle students that share

differences from them in the classroom.

Many young girls in our nation’s public schools are threatened by stereotypes as well,

“The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (2014) reported that Black girls were

suspended 12 percent more than all other girls and at higher rates than most boys” (Watson

2016). Young girls are looked at in a different light. And, again, we see a disconnect in how we

perceive young black girls and boys in our society.

Connie Wun brings to our attention that “current interrogations of school disciplinary

landscapes have focused in on disparities in discipline policies as they affect working-

class/working-poor boys of color” (2016). Research suggests that we need to change the way

we view discipline and punishment in our urban elementary schools to avoid widening the

achievement gap between White students and students of color.

2
HIGH SUSPENSION RATES IN URBAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Action Plan

Our school has the Positive Behavioral Intervention and Systems (PBIS) Committee. This

committee focuses on influencing positive behavior to ensure student achievement. However,

the program rarely focuses on the teachers and preventative measures that the they can take

to lower our suspension rates as well. I would ask that the PBIS Committee takes on the role of

providing workshops to our teachers that include classroom management, teaching students in

poverty, and cool down spots.

Classroom management workshops were not offered to everyone when they went

through a teacher education program in college. Many things can cause a difference in

classroom management, such as transitions, seating, classroom routines, classroom setup, and

even the amount of clutter in a room. Training our teachers in this area can assist in the flow of

their classroom and may prevent some of our classroom disruptions.

Teaching students in poverty is a difficult task. We do not know what our students went

through before they stepped foot in our classroom for the day. I believe that diversity training

for our teachers as a whole can help them understand the obstacles a child in poverty goes

through. This training can help turn some teacher biases around, when discipline is being

considered. We don’t want to threaten our students with stereotypes and we want to know as

much as we can about who they are and where they come from.

Cool down spots is a part of the PBIS expectations but it has not been previously

enforced. I believe that cool down spots will be very beneficial for our students. If each teacher

has a cool down spot in their classroom where that student can go and calm down, it can help

prevent some classroom altercations from occurring. Sometimes all students need is a moment

3
HIGH SUSPENSION RATES IN URBAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

to gather their thoughts and “cool down”. This can be a helpful way to keep our students in the

classroom in an environment where they feel safe and comfortable.

In conclusion, with combining classroom management, diversity, and cool down spot

trainings for our teachers, I believe that we can help reduce our suspension rates in our

elementary school. Taking preventative measures can go a long way before we end up at the

discipline and punishment stage. I believe that we should be doing all that we can to ensure

that there are no biases or stereotypes over our youth.

4
HIGH SUSPENSION RATES IN URBAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

References

Watson, T. N. (2016. “Talking back”: The perceptions and experiences of black girls who attend
City High School. The Journal of Negro Education, 85(3), pp. 239-249.

Whaley, A. L. (2018). Advances in stereotype threat research on African Americans: continuing

Wun, C. (2016). Unaccounted foundations: Black girls, anti-Black racism, and punishment in
schools. Critical Sociology, 42(4-5), 737-750.