These reports provide current information on school suspension and expulsion in Connecticut:
"Suspensions have been steadily increasing across the nation since the 1970s. According to the Advancement Project, a civil rights organization that tackles inequity with strategies and community alliance, more than 3 million youth are suspended in the United States each year.
These are simple steps that every school can take today to create a climate in which students are supported rather than pushed out. Supportive behavior policies are a win for students, schools and the whole community."
"The Dignity in Schools Campaign Model Code on Education and Dignity presents a set of recommended policies to schools, districts and legislators to help end school pushout and protect the human rights to education, dignity, participation and freedom from discrimination."
**Some excerpts taken from the Teaching Tolerance website
"Current educational policies and practices are pushing millions of young people out of school. This "pushout" crisis is fueled by many factors, including zero-tolerance and other punitive discipline policies. Each year over 3 million students across the country are suspended and over 100,000 are expelled.
These punitive practices do not improve student behavior, but rather increase the likelihood that students will fall behind academically and drop out, contributing to an unhealthy atmosphere affecting the entire school community. Students of color, low-income students, students with disabilities and other marginalized communities are impacted the most by these barriers to education, resulting in millions of children and young people being pushed out of school and into poverty, unemployment and often prison.
If we are to end this pushout crisis and improve educational outcomes for all our young people, educators, policy-makers, students, parents and communities must work together towards a new bold vision for education."
**Excerpts from the executive summary titled: A Model Code on Education and Dignity: Presenting a Human Rights Framework for Schools