Date of Award

12-2018

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Executive Leadership

First Supervisor

Robert Siebert

Second Supervisor

Sandye Johnson

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative, archival study was to explore the relationship between culturally responsive positive behavioral interventions and supports (CRPBIS) and the racial suspension gap of two cohorts of eighth-grade students in an urban school district located in New York State. The participants in this study were seventh and eighth-grade students from three middle schools who received a suspension(s) during the 2014–2015 , 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 school years. The treatment group consisted of students who received CRPBIS and the control group consisted of students who had not receive the intervention. For Cohort 1, the difference in suspension rates between the treatment and control groups was insignificant when the students were in seventh grade. However, when students finished the eighth grade, the treatment group had significantly lower suspension rates than the control group. The data also reveal that Pan African students who were exposed to CRPBIS received less suspensions compared to the Pan African students who were not exposed to the CRPBIS. The results of this study show that CRPBIS decreases suspension rates of Pan African students as well as closes the racial suspension gap. Studies have also shown that middle school suspensions can have an adverse effect on high school success; therefore, a longitudinal study on the impact of CRPBIS involving eight-grade students, as they progress through high school, is suggested for future research. Because this study only included three middle schools, future research is suggested for stakeholders to include an entire urban district in a longitudinal study.

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