Title: Nationally, Black Girls Receive More Frequent and Severe Discipline in Schools Description: In a new report, we found that Black girls are disciplined much more often and more harshly than other children in public schools. GAO’s Jackie Nowicki tells us more. Related work: GAO-24-106787, K-12 Education: Nationally, Black Girls Receive More Frequent and More Severe Discipline in School Than Other Girls Released: September 2024 {Music} [Jackie Nowicki:] Any way we looked at it, Black girls were punished more frequently and more harshly than other girls. [Holly Hobbs:] Hi, and welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report, your source for fact-based, nonpartisan news and information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. I'm your host, Holly Hobbs. How students are treated in school can profoundly influence the education they receive and have lingering effects into adulthood. By law, children should receive equal treatment in public schools, regardless of their sex, race or ethnicity, or disability. But in a new report, we found that Black girls are disciplined much more often and much more harshly than other children in public schools. Joining us to talk about this new report is GAO’s Jackie Nowicki, an expert on K-12 education. Thanks for joining us. [Jackie Nowicki:] Thanks for having me, Holly. [Holly Hobbs:] So, Jackie, our report found that Black girls are being disciplined more often and more harshly. What does that look like and how do we know? [Jackie Nowicki:] So it looks like a really concerning picture of how Black girls are treated in school, especially when they have a disability. We analyzed data from just about every public school in the country, and we found that across all categories of discipline, including suspensions and expulsions and school arrests, Black girls were disciplined more than any other group of girls. For example, in 2017, Black girls were suspended at five times the rate of white girls. And that holds true even when you account for the behavior that prompts the discipline. Any way we looked at it, Black girls were punished more frequently and more harshly than other girls. [Holly Hobbs:] Is this just happening in some regions or some cities? [Jackie Nowicki:] No, the pattern holds in every state. So here in Washington, D.C., for example, Black girls’ rate of out-of-school suspension is 20.5 times the rate of white girls. And most of the discipline gap between white girls and Black girls is explained by differences of discipline within a school. So, in other words, the difference cannot be explained by the fact that Black girls attend schools with higher overall discipline rates. [Holly Hobbs:] So we know it is happening. Do we know why it's happening? [Jackie Nowicki:] So we did a literature review, and peer reviewed studies confirmed what our interviews with experts told us—that racial bias, including things like colorism, is a contributing factor to the discipline of Black girls. Adultification bias is often at play. That's a form of racial and gender bias where Black girls are often viewed as older, more adult-like, more promiscuous than their peers, and are sometimes seen as less likely to need support in school. [Holly Hobbs:] This paints a bleak picture. What's the impact of this on Black girls? [Jackie Nowicki:] So there's actually national survey data on this. Black girls reported feeling less safe and had less trust in school than other girls. We also had the privilege of hearing directly from young women aged 18 to 24 about their own K-12 experiences. And what they told us matched what we found in the data that we analyzed. And it showed us that the girls themselves are aware that even when they behave similarly to their peers or perform well academically, they may be treated differently at school because of their race and their gender. We know that when girls are excluded from the classroom, so when they're suspended or expelled, they're losing learning time, they feel less connected to school, and they are more at risk for adverse outcomes spanning into adulthood, such as reduced earnings. So, there are educational consequences, economic consequences, and emotional consequences, and physical consequences for girls’ safety and well-being. {MUSIC} [Holly Hobbs:] Jackie just told us that Black girls in public schools are being disciplined at a much higher rate than their peers. And this is having dire consequences—not only on these kids’ education, but also long-term. So, Jackie, this is not our first report on how girls are disciplined differently. We've also looked at things like dress codes in schools. How does that prior work fit into what we’ve learned in this new report? [Jackie Nowicki:] So both of those reports—all of our work in this space actually—tell a story of gender and racial disparities. So, you mentioned our dress code report. We know from that report that over 90% of school dress codes prohibit clothing typically worn by girls, as compared to 69% of dress codes that prohibit items of clothing more typically worn by boys. And the young women that responded to our questionnaire for this work repeatedly cited differences in how dress codes are enforced not only between boys and girls, but between girls of different races and different body shapes. [Holly Hobbs:] I see. Is there a bigger picture here about how girls are being treated in schools? [Jackie Nowicki:] You know, there is. So recent federal data has shown that girls are struggling across almost all measures of well-being—things like mental health, substance abuse, experiences with violence, suicidal ideation, thoughts, behaviors. And we know that how students are treated in school can profoundly influence their experiences and have long-lasting effects well into adulthood. So yeah, what girls are experiencing with discipline in school is a really important part of that larger conversation about girls’ wellness. [Holly Hobbs:] And last question—what's the bottom line of this report? [Jackie Nowicki:] I'd say the bottom line is that Black girls’ experiences in school, especially with discipline, are often very different from their peers. The data in this report mirror what we know to be true from our past work on dress codes and school policing—and that is that Black girls are monitored differently and treated more harshly than their peers, even when you hold constant the behavior that prompted the discipline and it's significantly affecting their experiences in schools. [Holly Hobbs:] That was Jackie Nowicki talking about our new report on K-12 discipline trends. Thanks for your time, Jackie. [Jackie Nowicki:] Thanks, Holly. [Holly Hobbs:] And thank you for listening to the Watchdog Report. To hear more podcasts, subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. And make sure to leave a rating and review to let others know about the work we're doing. For more from the Congressional watchdog, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, visit us at GAO.gov.