Differences in Discipline Consequence Assignments by Ethnicity/Race and Economic Status for Texas Grade 6, 7, and 8 Girls: A Statewide Analysis

Purpose

The purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to examine the extent to which differences were present in discipline consequence assignments by the ethnicity/race and economic status for Grade 6, 7, and 8 girls in Texas. In the first investigation, the degree to which discipline consequence assignments differed by the ethnicity/race of Grades 6, 7, and 8 girls was addressed. In the second study, the extent to which discipline consequence assignments differed for Black girls by their economic status was investigated. Finally, in the third investigation, the degree to which discipline consequence assignments were different for Hispanic girls by their economic status was determined. The two discipline consequences of in-school suspension and out-of-school suspension were analyzed for four school years and separately for each grade level in each of the three investigations. As such, this multiyear analysis permitted a determination of trends, if present, in the differential assignment of discipline consequences.

Method

In this multiyear investigation, a non-experimental, causal comparative research design was used. Archival data analyzed in this investigation were previously obtained from the Texas Education Agency Public Education Information Management System for the 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015, and 2015-2016 school years. The degree to which differences were present in discipline consequence assignments by student demographic characteristics (i.e., ethnicity/race and economic status) of girls in Texas middle schools was determined.

Findings

For all four school years, statistically significant differences were present in the assignment of both in-school suspension and out-of-school suspension by the ethnicity/race and economic status of Grade 6, 7, and 8 girls in Texas. Black girls received the highest rates of these two discipline consequences, followed by Hispanic girls. With respect to economic status, Black and Hispanic girls who were Extremely Poor had the highest rates of these two discipline consequences, followed by Black and Hispanic girls who were Moderately Poor. In this multiyear investigation, a stair-step effect (Carpenter et al., 2006) was clearly present in the assignment of discipline consequences by the ethnicity/race and the economic status of Grade 6, 7, and 8 girls in Texas. Results were congruent with the extant literature.