Pushing Children Out of Preschool—Expulsion Rates, Causes, and Solutions

OSI–Baltimore's Criminal Justice and Education & Youth Development programs hosted a forum with Dr. Walter Gilliam to bring together policymakers, advocates, funders, and program providers to learn more about the harsh pre-kindergarten disciplinary practices and about programs that can prevent preschool expulsions.

An assistant professor of child psychiatry and psychology at the Yale University Child Study Center and the director of Yale’s Edward Zigler Center for Child Development and Social Policy, Gilliam recently authored a report, “Pre-kindergarteners Left Behind: Expulsion Rates in State Pre-kindergarten Systems,” which examines state-funded preschool programs in 40 states. For these states, the overall preschool expulsion rate was three times that of the K-12 rate. In Maryland, Dr. Gilliam found that there are nearly six expulsions per 1000 pre-kindergartners and only one expulsion per 1000, on average, for students in grades kindergarten through 12.

OSI-Baltimore seeks to understand and highlight the harmful consequences of high suspension and expulsion rates in Baltimore City’s schools. Through its “Helping Baltimore Youth Succeed” Initiative, OSI supports efforts to change the “zero tolerance” climate that pervades schools, improve behavior management techniques in classrooms, provide disciplinary alternatives and revamp disciplinary practices so that they work to keep students in school..

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This event is part of Forging Open Society: Generating Ideas, Partnerships, and Solutions forums convened by OSI-Baltimore to encourage community leaders with diverse perspectives to craft solutions to challenges facing the Baltimore region.