Abstract
In recent decades, there has been considerable public interest and policy action regarding the issue of exclusionary discipline from early care and education (ECE) settings. While numerous states have pursued legislation to address this practice, the legislation has received scarce empirical attention. Using a qualitative approach, the current study investigated state legislation addressing ECE exclusionary discipline (13 bills from 12 states as of January 2019) based on an existing policy framework with the following domains: Motivating Rationale, Population, Alternatives and Practices, Accountability, Personnel Development, and Financing. The majority of bills recommended reducing or banning the use of expulsion in publicly funded preschools, and many bills offered alternative responses to expulsion, ranging from general responses (e.g., behavioral supports) to specific responses (e.g., early childhood mental health consultation). There was variability in the extent to which bills outlined recommendations for accountability, such as data tracking, and financing or recommended alternative responses. Based on our review of the legislation, the following recommendations were identified to support future legislative advances for this issue: identify developmentally-appropriate, evidence-based practices that curtail exclusionary discipline as well as its disproportionate impact on young boys of color; expand the scope of the legislative protections; incorporate mandates related to funding and enforcement; collect data; and include stakeholders when crafting and evaluating legislation.
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This work was supported by the Doris Duke Fellowship for the Promotion of Child Well-Being.
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Appendix: Themes and selected codes
Appendix: Themes and selected codes
Themes | Select codes |
---|---|
Motivating Rationale | Long-term benefits of positive early childhood education Long-term consequence of suspension/expulsion Developmental considerations Types of disparities/disproportionalities Goal/Purpose of legislation Scope of phenomenon in state Data gaps Policy gaps |
Population | ED allowed (circumstances for which ED permitted) Inclusion (Student type bill applies to) Entities that do not have to comply with legislation Definition of ED provided |
Alternatives/Practices | Pre-expulsion school policies (Selected/Indicated Prevention) Post Expulsion steps School-level policy practices General expulsion prevention interventions Specific Pre-Expulsion intervention/practices Specific Post-Expulsion intervention/practices Prohibition of expulsion/suspension Planned transitions |
Financing | Funding source Funding agent Funding timeline Parent based/targeted funding |
Accountability | Implementation timeline Required reporting: Standards Required reporting: Population served Required reporting: Expulsion related Required reporting: Report recipient |
Personnel Development | Training regarding disparities and fairness Support and technical assistance Timing of training Training provider Training on school-wide issues Training on classroom issues Child and family-focused training |
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Loomis, A., Davis, A., Cruden, G. et al. Early Childhood Suspension and Expulsion: A Content Analysis of State Legislation. Early Childhood Educ J 50, 327–344 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01159-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01159-4