African American Male Achievement Initiative: A Closer Look At Suspensions Of African American Males In OUSD

This report examines the data, literature, and policy around suspensions of African American male students to uncover and better understand the disparities between this group and all other ethnic and gender groups. This report analyzes one year of suspension data from the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD, 2010-11), looking at suspensions by demographics, grade level, school level, and types of offenses.

• While African American boys comprised 17% of the OUSD student population in 2010-11, they comprised 42% of students suspended. Tweet
• Nearly one in ten African American boys in elementary school, one in three in middle school, and one in five in high school were suspended in 2010-11. Tweet
• The disparities in suspension rates between African American boys and their White male peers have not changed over the past six school years. Tweet
• The lowest suspension rate for African American males in a middle school was 16%, and just two high schools had suspension rates significantly lower than the overall suspension rate of 22% for African American males in high school. Tweet
• African American male students were suspended for a combined total of 5,869 days in 2010-2011, representing an Average Daily Attendance (ADA) financial loss of approximately $160,000 to the district. Tweet