Theses and Dissertations

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0002-2732-1704

Advisor

Williams, Frankie

Committee Member

Tharp, Paula

Committee Member

McMullen, Leigh

Committee Member

Oswalt, Katie

Date of Degree

5-15-2026

Original embargo terms

Immediate Worldwide Access

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

Major

Education (P-12 Leadership)

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College

College of Education

Department

Department of Teacher Education and Leadership

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the extent to which exclusionary discipline practices, specifically in-school suspension and out-of-school suspension, are associated with academic achievement among high school students. More specifically, the study investigated the relationship between students’ exclusionary discipline days and performance on Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) assessments in Algebra I, Biology, English II, and U.S. History. The study was guided by the Opportunity to Learn (OTL) framework, which emphasizes the importance of access to instructional time for student academic success. Archival discipline and assessment data were collected from a rural public high school in east-central Mississippi for the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 academic years. The sample included students enrolled in MAAP-tested courses in grades 10 and 11. Pearson correlation analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between total days of exclusionary discipline and MAAP scores. Results indicated statistically significant negative relationships between discipline days and performance in Algebra I, Biology, and English II in both academic years. No statistically significant relationship was observed for U.S. History. Further, one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to compare MAAP scores between students with five or fewer days of exclusionary discipline and those with more than five days. Significant differences were found for Algebra I, Biology, and English II across both academic years, with students experiencing more than five days of discipline demonstrating lower academic performance. These findings suggest that increased exposure to exclusionary discipline is associated with reduced academic achievement in several tested subject areas. The results highlight the potential impact of lost instructional time and provide evidence to inform equitable, instructionally responsive discipline practices among school leaders.

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