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On Wednesday, the 24th of April, the European Parliament will vote on a reform of the Schengen Border Code (SBC). The reform appears to institutionalize existing patterns of denying access to rights for people on the move by introducing “transfer-procedures”. Expulsions without procedural safeguards have become common practice at internal borders throughout the EU. The proposed regulation raises concerns over its unclear resolution of potential conflict with EU secondary and primary law, particularly its incompatibility with children’s rights standards, and its application in practice.

This paper considers the experiences of education for girls at risk of permanent exclusion from mainstream secondary schools in England. The number of girls being permanently excluded from school is a growing issue, and data suggests that girls are being excluded at a percentage rate which exceeds boys, yet they have continued to receive comparatively little attention, either in policy, research or the media. This study uses ecomapping and semi-structured interviews to examine the challenges girls face and the resources they use to address or ameliorate them. The paper provides an overview of the data collected, considers how the prevalent challenges reported by girls compare to existing research and suggests a number of approaches which could be taken to support girls. It reflects on girls' lack of visibility and voice in policy and research on school exclusions, how this has continued to affect the services and support available to them, and schools' responses to their behaviour. It concludes by reviewing the recommendations previous studies have advocated to support girls at risk of exclusion and reflects on the progress made towards these, noting how current issues of school funding, teacher recruitment and attrition, performativity and accountability have impacted on the scope of action it is possible for individual schools to take.

This article examines school removals and transitions among nine special education students. First, the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the local school discipline policy and special education contexts are discussed. Next, drawing from participants' narrative accounts, the ways in which policy mandates and contextual conditions shaped their individual experiences are examined. Findings reveal the significance of IDEA and the profound impact of educational policies on students having academic and disciplinary difficulties. I argue for further examinations of the "on-the-ground" effects of educational policies and for students and their families to have more power in school accountability. (Contains 1 table and 2 notes.)

School exclusion reduction in Scotland--and especially in the city of Glasgow--has received substantial media and policy attention in recent years. In London in particular, multiple governmental agencies have explicitly expressed a desire to replicate the exclusion reduction which recently occurred in Glasgow, often citing the connection between school exclusion and violence as a key motivating factor. In this paper, after presenting the statistical trends in school exclusions in Scotland, England, Glasgow and London, we mobilise original interview data to (1) explain how school exclusion reduction occurred so rapidly in Glasgow between 2007 and 2019, and (2) explore whether a similar reduction in exclusions could occur in contemporary London. We apply a theoretical framework to these issues which derives from Peters' work on policy coordination, allowing us to compare the conditions in Glasgow and London for well-coordinated pan-city exclusion reduction. Building on previous research which has contrasted national school exclusion policies in Scotland and England, we conclude that policy conditions surrounding school exclusion in the two cities differ substantially. There are substantial barriers to significant exclusion reduction in London, relating to both city- and national-level factors. There barriers include competition between different agencies working in relevant policy spaces; the fragmentation of the city's education system; the need for better incentivisation of inclusion by Ofsted and the Department for Education; and particular challenges to reframing the issue of school exclusion in London.

At least 16 states have limited exclusionary discipline for elementary age students, but little is known about the effects of these policies on discipline rates and disproportionality. This paper tests whether a limit on exclusionary discipline in grades K-5 in Arkansas impacted the likelihood of suspension and expulsion overall, for different student subgroups, and in different types of schools. Using a comparative interrupted time series approach, we find the policy - which included exceptions that could be interpreted subjectively - reduced the risk of suspension or expulsion in grades K-5, but that students who are not Black, students without disabilities, and more economically advantaged students experienced larger reductions in suspension and expulsion risk. Implications and limitations are discussed.

This paper will explore the ways in which behaviour features in the accounts of 'off rolling' processes in schools in England volunteered by participants -- senior school leaders, SENCos and parents, in an ongoing multi-stranded research project. In addition to analysing these accounts, this paper draws on contextual features and concepts such as parrhesia and authenticity in a probing of methodological considerations. The status of such accounts as data will also be considered given the high stakes accountability environment in which school principals strive to fulfil their legal remit in the field of inclusion. The trustworthiness of findings in qualitative research is more usually the focus of attention; however, our studies to date imply that some professionals carefully manage the image of their school and visibility of exclusionary practices to the detriment of students with mental health and behavioural issues. The methodological implications of conducting research in politicised and highly sensitive areas will be discussed.

Utilising Critical Race Theory (CRT) as the analytical lens and CRT composite counter-storytelling as the method, this paper seeks to illuminate the experiences of minoritised children and young people racialised as Black in relation to encounters with the exclusionary practice called 'off-rolling'. We conceptualise off-rolling as a hidden process of exclusion in education, and the stories shared in this paper bring into sharp focus the educational, relational and emotional impacts of camouflaged exclusionary practices. We offer four composite stories of exclusion to demonstrate how some of the most vulnerable, excluded, and marginalised young Black people from English urban cities experience further marginalisation because off-rolling, we argue, places learners in a space (both physically and educationally) located beyond care and inclusion. Storytelling is mobilised as a central method in CRT for challenging and exposing exclusionary practices, as it foregrounds the knowledge and lived experience of people of colour and we explore the processes of constructing such counter-stories. As an encouragement to reflection and critical conversation about unlawful exclusion and racial disparities, this paper was written with three goals in mind. The first is that it may inspire educators of colour to tell counter-stories that name their own reality and experiences of exclusion. Second, that in reading and responding to counter-stories, white educators will be encouraged to develop their own racial literacy. Finally, the third goal is that the call to action is answered from within and beyond the confines of academia, where inclusion and racial justice in education can no longer be left to wait.

The school discipline literature has expanded rapidly in recent decades, yet the conceptualization and measurement of school discipline patterns remains overlooked. In this paper, we present a comprehensive analytic framework to examine school discipline patterns that encompasses school-level metrics that capture the prevalence and disparity in exclusionary discipline and regression-based approaches that examine the likelihood that students experience exclusionary discipline. We apply the framework to New York City and, based on school-level metrics, find that Black students have the highest prevalence and the highest disproportionality. Results from regression models affirm that Black students are most likely to receive office discipline referrals and suspensions and experience differential processing of suspensions for similar categories of infractions. The findings illustrate the nuances of the disciplinary process in schools and inform the consideration of a range of available analytic tools that educational stakeholders may employ to better measure and understand exclusionary discipline.

This paper reviews the literature on the schooling experiences and challenges LGBT students face in Nigerian schools and universities, and how heterosexual students, teachers and school administrators view and respond to LGBT issues. Twenty-eight publications which include themes on LGBT experiences in Nigerian schools and universities were reviewed. Findings show that LGBT students experience rejection, bullying, and victimization from parents and siblings at home, and from students, teachers, and school administrators who sometimes expel LGBT students from schools and universities. The study shows internalized homophobia, stress and depression facing LGBT students, their resilience, and the support they receive from a few straight allies among students and lecturers. Findings reveal how Nigerian schools and universities promote compulsory heterosexuality through anti-gay views, disciplinary actions, and rules to discourage homosexuality. Finally, this paper discusses the implication of homophobia in Nigerian schools and universities and how to challenge homophobia regarding Nigeria's inclusive education goal.

Across the four UK jurisdictions, there are distinct disparities in exclusion rates of school students. Northern Ireland, alongside Scotland and Wales, has demonstrated over time, lower rates of permanent exclusions and temporary exclusions compared with England. This paper examines these disparities from the perspectives of representatives from various system-level educational bodies and third sector organisations representing children and families who experienced the exclusion process. The paper will also present policy and legal frameworks associated with exclusion in Northern Ireland. We interviewed 9 stakeholders, associated with practices of school exclusion in Northern Ireland, from a range of system-level education bodies and advocacy groups. Findings include positive strategies perceived to keep exclusion levels low, types of obstacles or resistance to anti-exclusion policy, participants' perspectives on unofficial exclusion practice, and perspectives on official exclusion data. What emerges from interviews is a series of tensions between implementing a child-centred approach and diminishing support services and resources. We conclude that those working within the Northern Ireland education system, are committed to an inclusive approach. However, the development and implementation of effective supporting frameworks take time and consultation, and there is evidence of tension between the perceptions of those working at a system-level and those working in schools.

Exclusionary discipline has been a topic of focus for Texas lawmakers in recent legislative sessions. While studies show the negative impact of exclusionary discipline on students, few explore how children who enter Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs fare later in their educational careers. The following paper outlines data collected from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) highlighting the relationship between assignments to DAEPs with graduation rates for ninth graders. This analysis shows the disproportional use of exclusionary discipline assignments on Black and Latinx students and the negative relationship between assignments to exclusionary discipline and four-year graduation rates for students. These issues are relevant as legislators and districts contemplate new discipline protocols in response to the public health crisis.

This paper uses a large sample of students from a Dutch university to describe variations in academic performance following a change in the strictness of academic dismissal policies. The research setting includes one moment in which the performance threshold for academic dismissal has been changed, keeping constant other characteristics of the educational system. Using a descriptive approach, we show that after the threshold has been raised the number of credits earned by academically weak students increases. A higher threshold level also brings their study effort forward in time, as evidenced by a decrease in the number of no-shows and an increase in the number of credits earned during regular exams. We also show that some students perceive the minimum performance level as a target level. The evidence suggests that variations in the implementation of academic dismissal policies affect students' tendency to procrastinate, especially among weaker students.

Student removal became an increasingly utilized form of discipline since the implementation of zero-tolerance policies during the early 1990s. Evaluative studies have consistently found negative relationships between student removal and academic success. Majority of cases regarding student removal are for minor and non-violent offenses and literature in this field suggests that teachers' biases and cultural misreadings widen racial disparities in school discipline and academic performance. Our study estimates the effects of suspensions, school-related arrests, and expulsions under zero-tolerance by exploiting within-school variation in school mean proficiency rates of Asian, Hispanic, Black, and White racial subgroups over a 3-year period. Our findings reaffirm consistent evidence that exclusionary policies have negative effects on academic outcomes. We also find evidence of differential effects by racial subgroup. The paper concludes with a discussion and policy implications.

Exclusionary discipline practices have a direct negative impact on individual students, schools, and society at large. To improve equity and cultural responsivity, active efforts to assess the contextual fit of effective strategies are necessary. The following study describes the Inclusive Skill-building Learning Approach (ISLA), an intervention designed to support school staff in carrying out preventative strategies and outlines instructional responses for educators and office staff. Additionally, an iterative approach to inform changes was used as part of the development process of ISLA. This paper aims to capture and incorporate the voices of students and staff using multiple methods to seek feedback for refining the quality, feasibility, and contextual fit of the ISLA intervention in middle schools. A total of 53 school staff provided feedback on the ISLA intervention. Further, Design Team members (n = 26) participated in semi-structured interview meetings to inform changes to ISLA. Last, student participants (n = 23) engaged in focus groups that were transcribed and coded via an independent co-coding strategy. The findings provide support for preventative school-based interventions that use alternatives to exclusionary discipline, as well as strategies for improving the ISLA intervention. [For the corresponding grantee submission, see ED618111.]

Minority students and students with disabilities are disciplined disproportionately from their peers. Discipline has led to many negative consequences in the lives of youth in the United States, including the school-to-prison pipeline. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Education issued guidance encouraging school districts to develop policies that seek alternatives to exclusionary penalties. Some states, including the State of Illinois, have been proactive in revamping the state's discipline. In this paper, we will examine how the states are responding to the school-to-prison pipeline and the other negative effects of exclusions and suspensions. Additionally, this paper will examine the implementation of Illinois Senate Bill 100, from an administrator's point of view, to make recommendations for disciplinary strategies and possible policy revisions.

Racially disproportionate discipline compromises children's rights and perpetuates racial inequalities that begin in preschool. This paper describes the use of culturally responsive early childhood consultation that may be used to reduce preschool suspension and expulsion, focusing on increasing early childhood teachers' cultural competence and use of instructional strategies to counter the racist educational practices inherent in early childhood educational systems. School psychologists are poised to engage in culturally responsive early childhood consultation given their training in cultural diversity and their expanding role to indirectly and proactively support early educators. Specific competencies are presented for school psychologists to target during culturally responsive consultation with early childhood teachers. While complex and difficult, culturally responsive early childhood consultation has the potential to support early educators to reflect on their own cultural identity, shift their perspectives about Black and Brown children and families, and decrease the likelihood that they will use harsh discipline practices.

It seems uncontentious that policy development should be informed by evidence, and that researchers should be engaged to assess available evidence. In this paper, we tell the story of a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) about school exclusion, a task intended to inform a 'root and branch' policy review. Drawing on Carol Bacchi's 'What's the problem?' approach, we use the project brief and the changing texts that we wrote to show that, while we began reviewing literature with a generous definition of exclusion, our focus progressively narrowed to encompass only the literatures that fitted with the pre-existing policy definition. Our story shows that a need to focus on big E Exclusion policy eliminated insights about little e exclusion, in particular how wider social relations and the school itself were implicated. The case raises critical questions about how policy evidence about exclusion is produced -- and limited.

This paper focuses on outcomes for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) provided to early education teachers as part of a tiered statewide expulsion prevention initiative. In a sample of 360 children (83.3% male, 66.6% White, 88.1% with clinically elevated externalizing behavior at baseline) at risk for expulsion, outcomes from consultation are described, including expulsion outcomes and changes in child behavior. Multiple regression was used to explore the role of teacher engagement in the IECMHC process on child-level behavioral outcomes. Of the referred children receiving IECMHC, 3.9% were expelled. From pre- to posttest, teachers reported significant reductions in behavior concerns (both frequency and the perception of the behaviors as "problematic") and expulsion risk (based on teacher perception of child behavior). Teacher engagement in the IECMHC process was a robust predictor of change in child outcomes, with greater engagement associated with improvements in child behavior problems and prosocial skills.

In this paper, the concepts of fabrication, subjectivation and performativity are mobilised in an analysis of varied exclusionary practices in England's schools with particular reference to "off-rolling", defined by the national school inspectorate as the illegal removal of a student from a school roll in order to enhance academic performance data. This narrow definition has gained traction over a relatively short period of time, reflecting growing tension between economic and political rationalities as the former is prioritised and the power relations dictated by performativity intensify. Head teachers are required to negotiate normative demands to include and drivers to exclude according to market performance. "Off-rolling" is being fabricated as an object of knowledge, point of governance and policy technology, producing a taken-for-granted reality (that head teachers in England are circumventing legal school exclusion procedures), and illustrating a feature of performativity, namely, the generation of signifiers that reinforce the disciplines of market, management and performance. Following Foucault, the subjectivation and disciplining of head teachers implies dividing practices and ascription of deviant identities, specifically, that of gamer. However, the policy context of, and since, the 1990s has generated incentives to exclude while a concomitant policy discourse around inclusion has failed to eliminate educational exclusion.

This paper is concerned with findings about gender which form part of a larger ethnographic study. The study was undertaken during the author's employment as a local authority (school district) Pupil Support Officer, where the author's work involved the support of young people who had been permanently excluded (expelled) from school for a variety of reasons, including sexual assault, violence against their peers or teachers, and what was known as "persistent disruptive behaviour". It focused on the effects of instances of actual or threatened permanent exclusion from secondary school on pupils, families and professionals in an urban local authority: "Enway". This paper focuses on the effects that professionals' assumptions about gender-identity and sexuality can have on effective support planning for young people at risk of or subject to permanent exclusion; and the lived experience of these young people with regard to their gender-identity and sexuality, with particular regard to how this can contribute towards exclusion. The author begins with a story about Nama, a young woman of Iraqi Kurdish heritage, who had been excluded for aggressive language and behaviour. Nama's story introduces some of the complex gendered issues experienced by students at risk of or subject to a permanent exclusion and how these interact with issues of class and ethnicity. The author also briefly discusses the connection between habitus (Bourdieu, 1977), embodiment and the "extended body" as a theoretical background to a discussion of sexuality, gender and identity, through three cases of "compulsory heterosexuality". The conclusion clarifies some of the links between gender normativity and instances of threatened or actual permanent exclusion. (Contains 8 notes.)