A new national study finds that black students and students with disabilities at charter schools were suspended at higher rates than their peers attending traditional public schools. 

In the 2011–12 school year, charters suspended 7.8 percent of all students, compared with 6.7 percent for public schools. While the charter school suspension rates were higher for every grade, the gap was most prominent in the higher grades. In middle and high schools, 12 percent more students with disabilities and 2.5 percent more black students were suspended in charters compared with public schools.

The findings come from “Charter Schools, Civil Rights and School Discipline: A Comprehensive Review,” a study conducted by the UCLA Center for Civil Rights Remedies. The researchers looked at federal education data from 5,250 charter schools and 95,000 public schools. 

The highest suspension rates were concentrated in a subset of charter schools. The researchers found that 270 schools in which 80 percent or more of the students were black also had a suspension rate for black students of 25 percent. The researchers also found that 235 charter schools suspended more than half of their students with disabilities.

The report found that a few charters, such as KIPP, are moving away from punitive zero-tolerance policies and toward restorative-justice strategies. These strategies use misbehavior and conflict as opportunities for self-reflection and learning with the help of a trained coach.

Mother Jones, March 18