This report highlights issues of exclusionary discipline that impact the success of Black boys and girls in San Diego Unified School District. This report also presents data on school outcomes, such as the ratio of Black teachers to Black students, math and English language arts assessment scores, and expulsion rates.
When They Teach Us
The Education of Black Children in San Diego
by J. Luke Wood, Mohamed Qas, Idara Essien, Frank Harris III, & Michelle DeJohnette
This report highlights issues of exclusionary discipline that impact the success of Black boys and girls in San Diego Unified School District. This report also presents data on school outcomes, such as the ratio of Black teachers to Black students, math and English language arts assessment scores, and expulsion rates.
Some of the key data points featured in this brief include:
Overall Findings
- Black students account for 8.2% of SDUSD enrollment but only 5.4% of statewide enrollment. Between 2014/2015 and 2018/2019, Black enrollment in SDUSD dropped by 16%. This rate of decline was 3.6 times faster than White enrollment decline.
- Only4.3% of SDUSD’s teachers are Black or African American. In contrast, nearly 63% of all teachers in the district are White.
- BlackstudentscoresforEnglishLanguageArtsandMatharethelowestforanyracialgroup.Scoresfor these subjects are at least 99 points lower than those for their White and Asian peers.
Suspension Findings
- The suspension rate for Black girls is 5.1%, which is 46% higher than the district average. The suspension rate for Black males is 10.7%. This rate is 206% higher than the district average and represents the highest suspension rate for any racial or gender group.
- Compared to the district average, Black males were 3.1 times more likely to receive an out-of-school suspension and 2.8 times more likely to receive an in-school suspension.
- Black male foster youth is the subgroup most likely to be suspended at 26%. In contrast, the district average was 13.5%.
- The top schools suspending Black boys are Montgomery Middle School (at 52.4%), Fletcher Elementary School (at 40%), Innovation Middle School (at 38.9%), and Millennial Tech Middle School (at 36.2%).
- The top school suspending Black girls is MillennialTechMiddleSchool,(at37%).This school is followed by Memorial Scholars and Athletes (at 27%), Challenger Middle School (at 20%), and Knox Middle School (at 20%).
