CHICAGO, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Elementary school discipline policies that rely on expulsions or suspensions as punishment may be fostering childhood inequality, and can unfairly impact African-American children, according to a study jointly conducted by researchers from University of Michigan (UM), the University of Maryland and Pennsylvania State University.
The researchers used child and parent reports from the Fragile Families Study, which tracked nearly 5,000 children born in hospitals between 1998 and 2000 in 20 large cities. Parents were interviewed after the child's birth, and follow-ups were conducted at ages 1, 3, 5 and 9. The final sample involved nearly 2,500 kids.
About one in 10 children were suspended or expelled by age 9.
Racial disparities remained high. About 40 percent of African-American boys were suspended or expelled, compared to 8 percent of white boys or from other ethnic groups. These disparities are largely due to differences in the children's school and family characteristics rather than to behavior problems.
Moreover, children who were suspended or expelled displayed more aggressive behavior, like fighting, after they were disciplined than they did before their suspension or expulsion.
The study was not able to identify the cause of this increased aggression but it is possible it arises in response to negative emotions, which may become amplified if the discipline causes the student to fall behind in school or introduces stress at home because the parents' work schedules are disrupted.
While there are situations when exclusionary punishment may be necessary, "schools should be provided resources and training to implement more inclusive alternatives," said UM researcher Garrett Pace.
The study did not explore the role parents play in promoting children's good school behavior.
The study, posted on UM website on July 17, has been published in Social Forces.
