Building a Collaborative for Comprehensive School Mental Health ...

Roundtable: The Perspectives of

Youth Affected by Exclusionary

School Discipline

Mary Thorngren, M.S., CHES

Reyhan Reid

Recommended Citation

Thorngren, M., Reid, R. (2013). Roundtable: The perspectives of youth affected by exclusionary

school discipline [PowerPoint slides]. Available at www.air.org

http://www.air.org/

Today we will share:

• Findings from January 2013 roundtable on school discipline

• Lessons learned about successful youth engagement

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

• List three facts about the school to prison pipeline

• Name three points about school discipline shared by youth

• Identify three best practice strategies for engaging youth

Session Objectives

2

What has been your experience with exclusionary school

discipline?

Discussion Question

3

Context for AIR’s Roundtable on

School Discipline

Breaking Schools’ Rules: A Statewide Study on How

School Discipline Relates to Students’ Success and

Juvenile Justice Involvement

• 15 percent of students with juvenile justice involvement were suspended or

expelled 11 times or more

• African-American students and those with emotional and behavioral

disorders were disproportionately disciplined for discretionary actions

4

Fabelo, T., Thompson M. D., Plotkin, M., Carmichael, D., Marchbanks, M. P., & Booth, E. A. (2011). Breaking

schools’ rules: A statewide study of how school discipline relates to students’ success and juvenile justice

involvement. Retrieved from http://justicecenter.csg.org/files/Breaking_Schools_Rules_Report_Final.pdf

Context for Roundtable (continued)

Departments of Education and Justice Supportive School

Discipline Consensus Building Project (SSDI)

• Build consensus for action among stakeholders

• Collaborate on research and data collection

• Develop guidance on school discipline policies and practices

• Promote awareness and knowledge about evidence-based and promising

policies and practices

5

Context for Roundtable (continued)

Youth care deeply about school discipline policies

Youth requested this roundtable

Goals of youth and AIR were aligned

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Intentional and pro-social

Engages youth within their communities, schools,

organizations, peer groups, and families

Recognizes, utilizes, and enhances youths' strengths

Promotes and supports skill building and leadership

Promotes social skills, emotional competence, positive

relationships with peers and adults, and civic and school

engagement

Positive Youth Development

7

Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs. (2012). Positive Youth Development. Retrieved from

http://www.findyouthinfo.gov/youth-topics/positive-youth-development

Youth participation and involvement in program design,

implementation, and evaluation

Positive environments and safe and structured places

Skill and asset development opportunities

Opportunities to serve others

Positive Youth Development (continued)

8

Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs. (2012). Positive Youth Development. Retrieved from

http://www.findyouthinfo.gov/youth-topics/positive-youth-development

Are youth involved in decisions that impact programs and

policies to address exclusionary school discipline?

Discussion Question

9

Benefits of Engaging Youth Promotes positive youth development

Broadens the base of “ownership”

Encourages diverse perspectives

Can clarify mission and vision

Leads to positive outcomes

Enhances sustainability and effectiveness

10

Matarese, M., McGinnis, L., & Mora, M. (2006). Youth involvement in systems of care: A guide to empowerment.

Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

Administration. Retrieved from http://www.tapartnership.org/docs/Youth_Involvement.pdf

Shift from doing things for youth…

• Youth are recipients of services

• Adults hold all the power and authority

To doing things with youth

• Youth are a resource in developing themselves and their communities

• Youth are partners and key stakeholders

• Youth and adults share power and authority

• “Nothing about us without us!”

Youth-Adult Partnerships

11

Matarese, M., McGinnis, L., & Mora, M. (2006). Youth involvement in systems of care: A guide to empowerment.

Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

Administration. Retrieved from http://www.tapartnership.org/docs/Youth_Involvement.pdf

Recruited through youth-serving organizations

• Identified trusted adults to support and recruit youth

• Developed recruitment strategies based on youth’s interests and needs

Engaged diverse, highly impacted youth

• Youth advocates

• Youth of color

• Ages 16–23

• 1/3 with disability

• Most have been suspended/expelled

Prepared youth for participation

• Conference calls and in-person preparation

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AIR’s Approach to Outreach

In their own words Exclusionary discipline:

• Limits opportunities to learn and

compromises academic achievement

• Is applied disproportionately and

subjectively

• Deprives students of the support

services they need

14

American Institutes for Research. (2013). Roundtable: The Perspectives of Youth Affected by Exclusionary School

Discipline. Retrieved from http://www.air.org/files/Exclusionary_Discipline_Roundtable_Report_090613_pdf.pdf

http://www.air.org/files/Exclusionary_Discipline_Roundtable_Report_090613_pdf.pdf


Limiting Opportunities to Learn

“At my school…when you came late, you had to sit in the

cafeteria and miss your whole first period and get stuck

behind in your classes… [When] I get kicked out of class, I

don’t get to do my work, and it sets me further back from

graduating. And I would have to work really hard to get

back on pace so I could graduate and make sure I’m not

failing anymore.”

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Disproportionate and Subjective

Application of Policy “We are making the effort to come get our

education, but you turn us back around

because you don’t have a tie… like…it was

an assessment day so we were supposed

to have collared shirts on, button down

collars. But, I had a polo shirt and no tie.

Like, I know that, but I am just trying to get

to school on time because you turn me

back around if I don’t have a pass [for

being tardy], so if I forget something, you

shouldn’t deprive me of my education,

based on the tie.”

16





“In my school, they didn’t dig deeper into why you were getting in trouble or

anything. I almost got arrested and suspended from a fight that I wasn’t a part

of. I came into a class and it was a substitute teacher, and they had my name

already written on a referral when I initially walked in, and I ended up getting

kicked out of class for a referral that just quoted things that I said, and I was

just trying to figure out why I was getting a referral in the first place.”

“If you have a police officer there, they are going to end up with a record…If it

was just a teacher and they ended up figuring out what the issue was, they get

talked to or like get adequate resource that they need. They don’t need to be

arrested; they need to go to therapy.”

Depriving Students of Supportive

Services

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Recommendations for Change

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Develop a culture in which school staff seek to

understand the catalysts for disciplinary incidents prior to

taking disciplinary action

• “I think that a lot of schools need more counseling, mentoring, tutoring

groups. Most of the kids I know bring their outside life to school... For my

personal life--probation, foster care, getting locked up--is how I got kicked

out of school. I think that a lot of students just need someone they feels

like they care…”

Eliminate mechanisms that remove students from class

or other learning opportunities for minor offenses





Recommendations for Change (continued)

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Create positive, safe school

community

Create environment where

everyone is treated fairly

Collect discipline disparity data

Establish community

partnerships





Recommendations for Change (continued)

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Offer academic support services

Help students hold themselves accountable

Foster positive relationships

• “…Everybody needs somebody that they can feel that they can go and talk

to and that can help them with whatever they need help with, whether it be

homework or something personal, something that is happening at home.

Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on.”





“…the only one that knows exactly what is going on is the student,

because they are the ones going through it.”

“So, I think one of the things schools can do to engage young people

is invite them to conversations specifically to make decisions. Not only

talking about principals to say how can we stop bullying, but I am

talking about your mayor requesting that students make a decision

whether or not they want uniform policies, I’m talking about our

governor, our president, the folks like AIR and other nonprofit

organizations. They need to be inviting students, but also being real

about it...”

Youth Engagement Matters

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Youth Engagement Lessons Learned Keys to success:

• Relationships matter

• Strategic sharing

• Recognizing contribution

Follow-up is important

Youth want to ask questions

and be engaged

Youth care that they are

being listened to

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What barriers need to be addressed in order for your

organization to more effectively partner with youth?

Discussion Question

23

Supportive School Discipline Webinar Series (U.S. Departments of

Education, Justice, and Health)

http://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/index.php?id=65&sort=grouped#s

upportive_school_discipline

National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments

http://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov

Supportive School Discipline Community of Practice

http://ssdcop.neglected-delinquent.org

Roundtable Report - http://www.air.org/focus-area/human-social-

development/

Resources

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http://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/index.php?id=65&sort=grouped

http://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/index.php?id=65&sort=grouped

http://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/

http://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/

http://ssdcop.neglected-delinquent.org/



http://www.air.org/focus-area/human-social-development/












Questions?

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Mary Thorngren Reyhan Reid

202-403-6869 202-403-5134

[email protected] [email protected]

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