PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – Native American students in California's public schools face higher-than-average suspension rates, according to a new report.

A joint effort between California State University, San Diego, and the Sacramento Native American Higher Education Collaborative, the report outlines what it calls troubling trends regarding how school administrators discipline students.

Racial disparities in school discipline, particularly for African American students, have been documented in numerous studies, but there has been little research on how Native American students are reprimanded.

The ethnicity groups with the highest suspension rates in California's public schools include African American, 9.4%; American Indian or Alaska Native, 7.2%; Pacific Islander, 4.7%; and Hispanic or Latino, 3.6%, according to the 2017-2018 Discipline Report from the California Department of Education. The discipline report notes 3% of white students are suspended.

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Native American students in California's public schools are suspended at 2.4 times the rate of their white peers, the Cal State study found. The report found that school districts in the Coachella Valley suspend up to 20% of Native American boys and up to 8% of Native American girls.

Luke Wood, a co-author of the report and chief diversity officer at Cal State San Diego, said he thought suspension rates could be accurately portrayed in the report even for school districts with a handful of Native American students.

"We believe this report is particularly groundbreaking, because Native American students are often ignored in scholarly research due to limited sample sizes," the authors wrote in the report. "Too often, Native American populations are relegated to being nothing more than an asterisk in data sets, thereby ignoring glaring disparities in outcomes that render them invisible."

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The report, which includes the voices of students surveyed, lists many reasons for the higher-than-average suspension rates, pointing to instances of cultural bias on campuses.

Researchers warn that if left unaddressed, these high suspension rates mean Native American students are more likely than their peers to drop out of school, to not feel a sense of belonging at school and to be less likely to attend college.

Researchers said the most disconcerting outcome of suspensions is the increased likelihood that students will get in trouble with law enforcement and fall into the school-to-prison pipeline.

However, it isn't all bad news. The researchers didn't only want to point out problems. They also offer suggestions for schools to make their staff more culturally aware.

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Standout statistics

Native American students in California's public schools are suspended at a rate of 7.2%, more than twice statewide average of 3.5% for all students.

One of the "most concerning" patterns identified by researchers in the report is that the highest disparity in suspensions of Native American boys and girls takes place in early childhood education, from kindergarten through third grade.

In that age range, students are answering questions like, "How important is school?" and "Is this a safe place?" said Wood. Those determinations will affect the rest of their academic careers, he said.

The highest percentage of suspensions for Native American students occurs in middle school, at 16.5% for Native American boys and 9.1% for Native American girls. Meanwhile, the statewide average rate for middle school boys is 9% and the statewide average for middle school girls is 4.3%.

In addition, the expulsion rate for Native American boys in California – 4.2 times the state average – is the highest of any ethnic or gender group.

The majority of suspensions, both statewide and for Native Americans, were for violent incidents that did not result in injuries. The report found No. 2 on the list was for incidents of defiance, for which Native American girls are slightly more likely to be suspended.

Though the category is listed as defiance, the study's authors added the word "perceived" before "defiance" because the girls may have been misinterpreted.

"This is a subjective category that has come under intense scrutiny in recent years for being a primary area in which children of color are overrepresented," the authors wrote.

Molly Springer, co-author of the report and co-founder of the Sacramento Native American Higher Education Collaborative, said that several parents indicated in the surveys it was important to them that their children question school systems, especially given the history of Native Americans being forced to attend boarding schools as a means of assimilation.

Native American children and youth in California public schools have the second-highest suspension rate of any ethnicity group, behind African Americans, according to the 2017-2018 suspension rate state report. This data is self-reported by schools to the state.

The authors of the study noted that minority students are more likely to be suspended than their white peers. The 2017-2018 Discipline Report from the California Department of Education found that the ethnicity groups with the highest suspension rates were African American, 9.4%; American Indian or Alaska Native, 7.2%; and Pacific Islander, 4.7%. That was followed by Hispanic or Latino, 3.6%; two or more races, 3.5%; and white, 3%. The least likely students to be suspended were Filipino, 1.3%; and Asian, 1%, according to the California Department of Education.

Native American students in the study are only those who self-identified as American Indian or Alaska Native. Students who identified as multiracial or who are Native American but identified as another race were not included.

Voices behind the data

The report includes compelling stories from Native Americans who responded to a survey sent by the researchers.

One student reported being searched and questioned for smelling of sage, an herb used by Native Americans for centuries. Another student reported being reprimanded for not acknowledging a teacher in class; the researchers noted that minimal eye contact could be a sign of respect for an elder.

These stories came out of the surveys sent by the Sacramento Native American Higher Education Collaborative to Native American families in Sacramento affiliated with partnering schools such as the University of California, Davis, Cal State Sacramento and local community colleges.

Springer said researchers felt it was important to include Native American voices, not only data points.

"These are stories that are very similar to things that are occurring on a regular basis to Native students," Springer said.

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Insight from a Native American school

Several schools in California serve only Native American students, including the Noli Indian School in San Jacinto on the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians reservation. The Noli Indian School was not included in the study, as it is a private school that is operated by the Bureau of Indian Education.

Donovan Post, Noli Indian School principal, said the school was created because Native American students were not finding success in the public school system. The school serves 134 middle school and high school students from tribes across Southern California.

"We take a more holistic approach to education," Post said by email. "We understand that our students may suffer from a number of issues at home, and that these issues may affect their performance at school."

He said the school has been able to improve student outcomes by offering intervention programs in reading and math and social-emotional wraparound services.

"I do not blame public schools, as if I had over two thousand students here, I would not be able to run the system that I do," Post said. "Being under 150 students helps us cater to the needs better, and so we find success."

Post said the school's suspension rate was 3.3% but school records were not made available.

Researchers' recommendations

Wood said that the report's authors wanted to focus on providing solutions, in addition to raising awareness about these issues.

Researchers recommend that schools provide professional development training for all K-12 teachers, educators and administrators on "understanding Native American students."

They also suggest making changes to school policies to account for cultural practices and collaborating with parents and tribal officials to discuss issues leading to suspensions and expulsion before calling in law enforcement.

The full report can be found at cceal.org/nativesuspensions. There is a searchable database for suspension rates of California school districts and counties at cceal.org/nativesuspensions/search-your-district.