Informal exclusionary discipline practices in US schools: Recent evidence and policy considerations

In response to recent state and local reforms, schools have reduced formal exclusionary discipline (e.g., suspensions, expulsions). Our report highlights the largely undocumented informal exclusionary discipline practices that emerge when formal discipline is no longer legally or culturally permissible. We define informal exclusionary discipline practices as within-classroom, within-school, and out-of-school practices beyond formal discipline that limit students' access to classroom learning opportunities in PreK-12 settings. These practices disproportionately affect racially/ethnically and economically marginalized students and students with disabilities, thereby reproducing formal discipline inequalities, but have received scant attention in contemporary policy discussions. We offer policy considerations for federal, state, and district policymakers to document and address these practices.