New Study: School Climate Deteriorating Under de Blasio’s School Discipline Reforms

NEW YORK, NY — Over the past five years, the U.S. has seen a dramatic shift in school discipline policy, driven by statistics revealing stark racial differences in school suspension rates. From 2011-12 to 2013-14, suspensions nationwide fell by nearly 20 percent, and this trend has likely continued or accelerated due to federal pressure from President Obama’s Department of Education.

Whereas most major districts don’t have sufficient data to monitor school climate, the NYC School Survey gives us an annual snapshot into what teachers and students think about their schools. A new report by Manhattan Institute senior fellow Max Eden examines the effects of discipline reform in New York City, finding that as suspensions have fallen under Mayor de Blasio’s reforms, school climate has deteriorated significantly.

According to students and teachers, school climate held steady during the last two years of the Bloomberg administration. But in the first two years under de Blasio’s discipline reform, Hundreds of schools serving hundreds of thousands of students became less orderly, less respectful, and more violent. Student reports of drug use and gang activity increased at three times as many schools as decreased.

Potentially most concerning, there is a significant racially disparate impact: schools serving 90+% minority students saw the worst school climate shifts. According to students:

• Mutual respect deteriorated at 58% of schools;
• Physical fighting became more frequent at 50% of schools.

Click here to read the full report.