Demographic Differences in Students' Behavior and Disciplinary Actions

For youth in the general population, differences in school behaviors and receipt of disciplinary actions are apparent for groups who differ in selected demographic characteristics (Freeman 2005; Gallegos 1998; Llagas 2003; Skiba et al. 2002). Several of these differences also are apparent for students with disabilities.

Gender. Secondary-school-age boys with disabilities are no more likely than girls to be reported to argue or fight with others at school, but they are twice as likely as girls to be described by their teachers as not behaving appropriately in class (22 percent vs. 11 percent) (figure 3). The teacher-reported rate of disciplinary actions in a year for boys with disabilities also is almost twice that of their female peers (40 percent vs. 23 percent).

The parent-reported rate of ever having been suspended or expelled is higher for boys with disabilities than for girls (38 percent vs. 22 percent; figure 4). Similarly, more secondary-school-age boys than girls in the general population are reported by their parents ever to have been suspended or expelled during their school careers (NCES 1999).

Race/ethnicity. Youth with different racial/ethnic backgrounds differ in reported behavior and receipt of disciplinary actions (figure 5). In general, 7th- through 12th- grade African American students with disabilities are reported to exhibit more problem behaviors at school than are White or Hispanic students with disabilities. More than half (56 percent) of African American students are reported by teachers to argue with others in class, compared with 43 percent of White and 39 percent of Hispanic students. More than one-fourth (29 percent) are reported to fight with others in class, compared with 19 percent of White students and 13 percent of Hispanic students. In addition, about one-fourth (26 percent) of African American students with disabilities are reported by teachers not to control problem behavior in class, compared with 14 percent of Hispanic students.

African American students with disabilities have suspension or expulsion rates higher than those of White or Hispanic students with disabilities (figure 6). Almost half of secondary-school-age African American youth with disabilities (46 percent) are reported by parents to have been suspended or expelled from school at some time in their school careers, whereas fewer than one-third (30 percent) of White students and 28 percent of Hispanic youth with disabilities are reported by parents ever to have experienced these types of disciplinary actions. In this respect, youth with disabilities are similar to their peers in the general population, where 39 percent of secondary-school-age African American students are reported by parents ever to have been suspended or expelled, compared with 17 percent of White and 23 percent of Hispanic students. Unlike those of their peers in the general population, suspension or expulsion rates for White and Hispanic youth with disabilities do not differ significantly from each other, whereas these rates are higher for Hispanic than for White students in the general population (NCES 1999).

Grade level. Students with disabilities in middle school grades are more likely to be reported to misbehave in class than are those in high school. Sixty-one percent of 7th- and 8th-graders are reported by teachers to argue with others in class, compared with 46 percent of 9th- and 10th-graders and 40 percent of 11th- and 12th-graders. Younger students also are more likely to fight with others in class, with almost one-third of middle schoolers reported to do so, compared with 20 percent of those in 9th and 10th grades and 16 percent of those in 11th and 12th grades. Despite this inverse relationship between classroom behavior and grade level, disciplinary action rates do not differ significantly by grade level. Forty percent of 7th- and 8th-graders, 37 percent of 9th- and 10th-graders, and 31 percent of 11th- and 12th-graders have received one or more disciplinary actions in a school year.

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