THE IMPACT OF SCHOOL DISCIPLINE AND ZERO TOLERANCE

TEXAS' SCHOOL-TO-PRISON PIPELINE: DROPOUT TO INCARCERATION: THE IMPACT OF
SCHOOL DISCIPLINE AND ZERO TOLERANCE
Texas Appleseed has released our new report, Texas' School-to-Prison
Pipeline: Dropout to Incarceration: The Impact of School Discipline and Zero
Tolerance. This report--the first in a multi-year project examining the
complex school to prison pipeline issues -- discusses the connection between
disciplinary referrals and dropout rates, a dynamic that creates a pipeline
into the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems.

Major findings include:

a.. High recidivism and dropout rates underscore the failure of
Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs.
b.. Where a child attends school is the greater predictor of the
likelihood of a student receiving a disciplinary referral.
c.. African American students are significantly overrepresented in schools'
discretionary disciplinary decisions compared to their percentage in the
overall student population.
d.. Special education students are significantly overrepresented in
discretionary disciplinary referrals compared to their percentage in the
overall school population.

The report also discusses proven methods of approaching school discipline
issues so that schools remain safe and students stay in school and keep
learning. It includes a section on Best Practices outlining a model that has
been tested in Texas and in other states, with results that clearly show its
effectiveness. It highlights the importance of Texas school districts
utilizing research-based strategies to improve student behavior, reduce
school dropouts, and help curb the growth of Texas' prison system.
Statistics clearly show that not only do DAEPs, as they are presently
administrated, fail to make mainstream schools safer places for Texas youth
to learn, but they also open gateways to even greater social issues at the
state level. Texas Appleseed recommends increased parental involvement,
improved TEA monitoring and higher DAEP requisites as possible keys to
solving the behavior management issues faced within Texas schools.

To read more about the School-to-Prison Pipeline project, please click here.

Texas' School-to-Prison Pipeline: Dropout to Incarceration: The Impact of
School Discipline and Zero Tolerance Report:

Executive Summary
Full Report