Understanding punitive school discipline from the lens of academic engagement has shown that there is not only a discipline problem but an underlying education problem that leads to later behavioral issues with students. This research in particular shows how closely related discipline, academic engagement, and truancy are in terms of students’ low academic achievement, especially in the case of Black males and Black males with disabilities. Ultimately, the cycle of disengagement and receipt of disciplinary actions leads to lower academic achievement and the disparate involvement of Black males in the juvenile and, eventually, adult justice systems.

Black students are currently about 2.3 times more likely to be suspended than White students (Hinojosa, 2008). The longstanding and persistently disproportional rates of suspension between races have persisted despite mounting evidence that suspensions are ineffective at correcting behavior and commonly precede dropping out (Dupper, Theriot, & Craun, 2009; also see Chapter 1 of this book). Out-of-school suspensions (OSS) continue to be a widely used form of school discipline in the United States.