University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

An Analysis of Suspensions at West Aurora High School: Proposals and Recommendations for Alternatives to Suspension

Lang, Otha Olen

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Description

Title
An Analysis of Suspensions at West Aurora High School: Proposals and Recommendations for Alternatives to Suspension
Author(s)
Lang, Otha Olen
Issue Date
1987
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Thurston, Paul W.
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ed.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Education, Administration
Abstract
  • The study focused on West Aurora High School, a suburban, comprehensive high school, located in the state of Illinois. The problematic nature of suspensions at West Aurora High School concerned the Central Administrators and School Board Members. To validate these concerns regarding West Aurora High School, two comparable high schools in adjoining school districts were compared in their discipline procedures and suspension rates to determine the appropriate or inappropriate level of suspension at West Aurora High School.
  • The purposes of the study were (a) to determine the extent of the suspension problem at West Aurora High School, (b) to validate the perceptions of the Board and Central Administrators regarding these suspensions, (c) to determine whether the nature and rate of the suspension problem were comparable to those of two similar high schools in adjoining school districts (with regard to the race and sex status of the students), and (d) to search the literature for possible Alternative Programs to suspension that have the potential to reduce the suspension rate at West Aurora High School.
  • The following data were collected over a four-year period, from 1981 to 1985, from West Aurora High School and the two high schools represented in this study: (a) the total suspensions by race, sex, and ethnic groups; (b) the total suspensions by offense during the final year of this study, 1984 to 1985; and (c) the total suspensions at West Aurora High School over the four-year period of the study. The Kruskal-Wallis One-Way Analysis of Variance Test and the Kendall Coefficient of Concordance, W, were used to measure the statistics.
  • The findings were that the suspension rate at West Aurora High School was higher than those of the two comparable high schools during the span of this study because High School A implemented an Alternative School, and High School B implemented an Alternative Learning Center and Alternative School. It was concluded that West Aurora High School could decrease its suspension rate by implementing similar programs as those represented by High Schools A and B, as well as those Alternative Programs indicated in the professional literature.
Graduation Semester
1987
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/69151

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