Vol 5 Issue 1 – From the Editor

In this issue, we turn our attention to one of the most pressing and controversial aspects of school discipline: suspensions and expulsions. While often seen as necessary tools for maintaining order and safety, disciplinary actions including full removal from schools have long been criticized for their disproportionate impact on marginalized student populations, as well as their questionable efficacy in addressing the root causes of student behavior. 

Across the nation, suspensions and expulsions disproportionately affect Black, Indigenous, and students of color, as well as those with disabilities. This inequity, coupled with mounting evidence of the negative academic, social, and psychological consequences of exclusionary discipline, has led many educators, policymakers, and advocates to call for a critical rethinking of how we approach student behavior and discipline. We explore these topics in the current issue and appreciate you joining us in being both curious and skeptical about school discipline as well as hopeful that our children’s education can also be the fulfillment of a public promise.

This issue brings together a diverse range of voices—students, educators, and the broader community experts—who explore both the human cost of suspensions and expulsions and the potential alternatives. This issue is an invitation to reflect on the practices that shape our school systems, and to consider how we can move toward a more compassionate, effective, and equitable approach to discipline. As educators, we must continuously ask ourselves: Are our disciplinary policies fostering a climate where all students can thrive, or are they inadvertently contributing to inequities?

We hope that the articles in this issue inspire you to engage with these challenging questions, whether with your own families, with your neighbors, or with your colleagues. We are the public, and fulfilling the promise of public education belongs to us all.

Peace,

antwan