Expulsion and Suspension in Early Childhood Settings: A ...Suspension? •Suspension and expulsion...

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CareyMcCann,BUILDInitiative.NCSLEarlyLearningFellowsMeeting

September18,2017

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• Briefreviewoftheresearch• 3dimensionsofexpulsionpractices• Roleofstatepolicy• Stateexamples

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WWeeddoonn’’ttccaalllliitteexxppuullssiioonn……

• Pleasepickyourchildupearlytoday• Don’tbringherintomorrow• Whydon’tyouhavehimjoinusforhalfdaysforthenextfewweeks• Ourprogramjustisn’trightforyourchild• Wecan’tprovidetheservicesthatyourchildneeds

ExclusionaryPractices• Removefromactivitiesthatincludeotherchildren• Removeintheshort-termorlimitthetimeachildattendstheprogram• Dismissachildpermanently• Encouragefamiliestovoluntarilyterminateservices,“softexpulsion”

• Terminatingenrollmentbecauseofchallengingbehaviororhealthcondition• Reductionsintheamountoftimeinattendanceatthesetting• Otherservicesarelimitedonthebasisofchallengingbehaviors,e.g.denyingoutdoortime,withholdingfood,andusingfoodasarewardorpunishment

CaringforOurChildren

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WWhhyyFFooccuussoonnEExxppuullssiioonnaannddSSuussppeennssiioonn??• Suspensionandexpulsionarestressfulandnegativeexperiencesthatcanimpactchildoutcomes

• Expulsionorsuspensionearlyinachild’seducationpredictslaterexpulsionorsuspensioninschool

• Youngstudentswhoareexpelledorsuspendedareasmuchas10timesmorelikelyto:§ Dropoutofhighschool§ Failagrade§ Beincarcerated

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10.4%ofPre-Kteachersexpelled1ormoreinpastyear

2.1

6.7

27.4

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

K-12 Pre-K ChildCare

Rateper1,000

SSttaatteePPrree--KKEExxppuullssiioonnRRaatteess

Gilliam,2005

STRIKE#1:OlderBoys

Boys 3½timesmorelikelythangirls

4-year-olds 50%morelikelythan3’s

Strike#2: AfricanAmericans

Expelledat2xtherateofEuropeanAmericans;5xtherateofAsianAmericans

Makeup18%ofpreschoolenrollment,but48%ofpreschoolchildrensuspendedmorethanonce.

Source:CIVILRIGHTSDATACOLLECTIONDataSnapshot:EarlyChildhoodEducation– March2014

STRIKE#3:Setting

• Privateandfaith-basedchildcare

• Highteacher-childratios• Highteacherstress/

feelinghopeless• Longschoolday• Toolittleortoorestrictive

structure• Noconsistentongoing

availabilityofamentalhealthconsultant

InfantToddlerAstudyinChicagofoundthat42%ofbirthtothreechildcareprograms expelledatleastonechildinthepreviousyearbecauseofbehavior

AstudyofPhiladelphiafoundthat26%ofchildcareprogramshadexpelledatleastonechildinthepastyearandthattoddlerswerejustaslikelyaspreschoolerstobeaskedtoleavethechildcaresetting

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• Social-emotionaldevelopmentoccursincontextoffamily,communityandculturalexpectations

• Challengingbehaviorisapartoftypicalchilddevelopmentandoffers“touchpoints”

• Cross-culturaldifferencesinchildren’sexpressionandinterpretationofemotions,e.g.anger,shame,exuberanceofpositiveemotions

• Expulsionandsuspensioncanpathologizechildbehaviorandincreasedisparities

AAddddrreessssKKnnoowwlleeddggee&&PPrraaccttiiccee

• NSECEstudyfoundonly20%ofprovidersreportedreceivingtrainingonfacilitatingsocial-emotionalgrowthinthepastyear

• Workforceneedsknowledgeandskillsto§ Understandhowchildren’semotionalresponsesmayreflectculturalexpectationsandlearning

§ Communicateclassroomexpectationsinachild’sfirstlanguage

§ Supportsocial-emotionallearning§ Examinetheirownteachinganddisciplinepractices§ Distinguishconcerningbehaviorsfromdevelopmentallyappropriatebehaviors

22..IImmpplliicciittBBiiaass

THEHUMANBRAIN

Conscious/Reflectiveeffortful,slow,logical,calculating,limitedresources

Unconscious/Reflexautomatic,fast,intuitively-driven,emotionalstereotypic,largeresources

BBiiaass• Ahumancondition• Triggeredbybrainmakingquickjudgementsandassessmentsofpeopleandsituations,influencebyourbackground,culturalenvironmentandpersonalexperiences• Compoundedbythebeliefthatourperceptions,beliefsandexperiencesareobjectivelytrue• Negativeinformationmoresalient• Easilytriggedundercognitiveoremotionalload

IImmpplliicciittBBiiaass&&RRaacciiaallDDiissppaarriittiieessiinnEExxppuullssiioonnRRaatteessGrowingevidenceindicates…

• Blackboysareperceivedaslessinnocent,lesshumanandmoredeservingofpunishment

• ThreatcommonlyassociatedwithBlackmenmaybegeneralizedtoBlackboysasyoungas5

• Underpreparedearlylearningteachersaremorelikelytousepunitiveandrejectingdisciplinarytechniques

UUnnddeerrssttaannddiinnggRRaacciiaallDDiissppaarriittiieessiinnEExxppuullssiioonnRRaatteessRecentResearchhasfound…• Disproportionatelevelsofdisciplinebyrace•Mixedimpactwhenbackgroundinformationonfamilialstressorsismadeavailable• Atkindergartenentry,BlackandWhiteparentsequallyratedtheirchildren’spersistence,approachestolearning,andsocialinteractions,butteachersratedBlackstudentsashavingadistinctdisadvantagerelativetoWhitestudents

CCoouunntteerriinnggIImmpplliicciittBBiiaass• Instituteorganization-wideprocessesandpracticetosupportindividualsplacingcognitiveeffortoverintuition,e.g.§ Explicitprocedureswhenachallengingbehaviorhappens,e.g.disciplinepractices

§ EngageinECMHconsultation§ Providereflectivesupervision§Offerprofessionaldevelopmentandcoaching

33..TTrraauummaaBBeehhaavviioorrCCoonnnneeccttiioonn• Approximately10to14percentofchildrenfrombirthtoage5experienceemotional,relational,orbehavioraldisturbance• Childrenexperiencingtraumaarriveatschoollessreadytolearn

• Exposuretoviolencecandiminishconcentration,memory,organizational,andlanguageabilities• Qualityofearlylearningsettingsisevenmoreimportant

RRoolleeooffSSttaatteePPoolliiccyy

Goal

Governance

StateGoalsandRoadMap

Data

Policy

StatePolicy&Protocolson

Expulsion

PoliciesrelatedtoProgram

Characteristics

ChildCareAssistance

WorkConditions

Supports

Hotline/Triage

Training&Coaching

IECMHConsultation

QRIS

AlignmentofTAProviders

Services

DevelopmentalScreening&

Referral

EarlyIntervention&

SpecialEducation

Health,MentalHealth,and

FamilySupport

Cross-cutting:FamilyPartnershipsandRacial&GenderEquity

POSSIBLECOMPONENTSOFASTATESTRATEGY

PPoossssiibblleeRRoolleeooffLLeeggiissllaattiioonn• Areprogramcomponentsorstatefinancingforpreschoolandchildcareinstatute?

•Whatdatacouldbecollectedacrossstateagenciesre:prevalence,whatishappeninginprograms,andhowarethesupportsworking?

•Whatareavailablesupportsre:professionaldevelopmentandmentalhealthconsultation?

• Arethereclearexpectationsorrequirementsaroundprotocolsandprocedures?

SSttaatteeEExxaammpplleess

AArrkkaannssaass• Cross-systemandsectorplanninggroup• Hotline/Triage• TiersofBehaviorHelp

§ QualityImprovement&ECMHConsultation

• Core6Trainings1. TeachingPyramid2. NurturingRelationships3. SupportiveClassrooms4. UnderstandingandDescribingBehavior5. WorkingwithFamilies

• Evaluation

AArrkkaannssaass::FFiinnaanncciinngg• TriagespecialistspulledfromwithinvariousunitswithinDHS/DCCECE

• ShiftedresourcestoexpandECMHCtoseveralnewsites

• Allotherservicesfundedbyredeployingexistingstaffandresources

• TAandECMHCfundedthroughCCDFandstatepre-kqualityimprovementdollars

OOhhiioo::WWhhoolleeCChhiillddMMaatttteerrss• StatewideHotline(Children’sHospital)• ECMHConsultationExpansion• CoreTraining

1. SocialandEmotionalDevelopmentfromOhio’sEarlyLearningDevelopmentStandards

2. ManagingChallengingBehavior3. FromToxicStresstoSafeZone-TraumaInformedCare4. CulturalandLinguisticCompetency

• Evaluation

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•Anadultdecision•Notasingle-factorproblem•Requiresamulti-prongedapproach

PPrreevveennttiinnggEExxppuullssiioonn……• Buildthecapacityofandsupportsfortheworkforce

• Bringaexpulsionpreventionlenstocurrentefforts

• Determinewhatwillbethenewfocus

• Involveallhelpers• Pickastartingpointandbuildmomentum

Formoreinformation

CareyMcCann,AssistantDirectorofStateServices,cmccann@buildinitiative.org

www.buildinitiative.org