Research from the University of California, Los Angeles, and UC Berkeley’s California Race, Education, and Community Healing (REACH) Network indicates that exclusionary discipline practices — such as suspensions — negatively affect student learning across all grade levels and contribute to long-term adverse outcomes like higher dropout rates. These practices disproportionately impact historically marginalized groups of students, including students of color and students with disabilities.

Non-exclusionary discipline approaches focus on keeping students in the classroom (rather than excluding them) while repairing harm done to students, addressing underlying causes of behavior, and building positive relationships based on trust and growth. These approaches do not excuse infractions or misbehavior. Instead, they provide educators and students with practical skills, coping strategies and alternative methods for managing challenges in school and classroom settings. By collaborating with district leadership, school board members can shape discipline policies that promote equity, improve student outcomes and create positive school climates.

“Disparities in discipline, particularly among California’s most underserved student populations, have persisted for a long time and can adversely affect their educational opportunities,” said CSBA Principal Research Manager Jeremy Anderson. “REACH’s work, the core tenets of which are in this summary, promotes equitable, data-driven and inclusive practices aimed at keeping students in classrooms by tackling root issues. These practices have begun to prove effective in several California districts. CSBA felt board members needed to realize their role in this initiative and how they can bolster these promising practices.”

School board members represent their communities’ needs and values. In partnership with superintendents, they shape school culture and policies that influence every student’s success. As part of a governance team, board members ensure that district discipline practices align with both the district’s vision for student success and research-supported strategies that foster positive learning environments. Staying informed about current research and data-driven strategies is essential for making sound policy decisions that uphold accountability and sustain effective, equitable practices.

• Set clear expectations for restorative discipline policies — Adopt policies that prioritize repairing harm and resolving conflicts over punitive measures like suspensions. Board members can work with the superintendent to ensure implementation of policies that reflect restorative approaches and monitor how these policies are applied across schools and their impact on reducing suspensions and expulsions.
• Advocate for funding to support training and resources — Support professional development opportunities that equip educators with effective restorative-focused classroom management tools. Boards can include resources in the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) that fund training on de-escalation, bias awareness and restorative practices. Regular updates should be scheduled to measure if and how training is improving school climate and discipline outcomes.
• Monitor discipline data — Collaborate with the superintendent to track discipline data and request regular updates to the board on policy implementation. Boards should request data be disaggregated by gender, race, disability and economic status to measure whether polices are applied consistently.
• Prioritize equity in decision-making — Adopt policies that promote consistent, impartial discipline practices that foster accountability, growth and stronger teacher-student relationships. Through data, governance teams can work to identify and address discipline trends and patterns that indicate disparities and work to ensure that policies create inclusive, supportive environments that reduce discipline disparities.

The REACH Network unites schools, local educational agencies, researchers and community partners to foster equitable learning environments. Participating LEAs are leading efforts to reduce discipline disparities and enhance student outcomes by collaborating and sharing best practices. REACH works with 10 school systems across California to address discipline disparities.

These findings can be downloaded in the CSBA-REACH informational sheet at csba.pub/equitable-discipline.

To learn more about REACH’s work in the field, read the “Alternatives to suspension” article in the winter 2025 issue of California Schools at csba.pub/alternatives-suspension.