A Working Paper from EPIC

Disciplining Disability: The Relationship Between Inclusion and Disciplinary Outcomes for Students with Disabilities

March 2020

Students with disabilities (SWDs) are more likely to be suspended or expelled than their general education peers. This study examines the relationship between disability type, educational setting, and disciplinary outcomes, using five years (2012-13 to 2016-17) of student-level data for all special education students in Michigan. I find that males, economically disadvantaged students, underrepresented minorities, and students with emotional impairments or other health impairments are at higher risk of disciplinary referrals and suspensions. Using within-student variation, I find that inclusive educational settings are associated with fewer disciplinary incidents. However, these apparent benefits only accrue to certain groups of students, in particular, students with emotional impairments, males, White/Asian students, and non-economically disadvantaged students. Further, these overall results were driven by students who transitioned from more to less inclusive settings experiencing more disciplinary referrals and suspensions after these moves.