BLACK MALE DROPOUT: RACIAL DISPROPORTIONAL SCHOOL DISCIPLINE LEADS TO INCREASED PRISON POPULATIONS

Yearly in Mississippi, a precariously high percentage of African American male students disappear from the educational arena before graduating from high school. According to the U.S. Census Bureaus 2019 American Community Survey, Mississippis poverty rate is 19.7 percent, the nations highest poverty rate. African Americans make up 37.8 percent of the total population in Mississippi. Of this percentage, 32.7 percent live at the poverty level. When the data is condensed, 27.8 percent of Mississippis children are born at or below this level and lack the necessities to achieve academically. These students face inadequate health and mental care, substandard housing, and low early literacy skills. As a result, these students bring challenges to classrooms. These challenges often lead to behavior problems that hinder their achievement and affect both teachers and students instructional well-being. A decade ago, Mississippi had the sixth-highest out-of-school suspension rate in the nation. In a report given by the U.S. Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights (OCR), Mississippi school districts have one of the highest suspension rates for Black students in both in-school suspension and out-of-school suspension. This fact explains why Black students received 75 percent of the total suspensions or three times more than their peers. This paper explores the dropout challenges that Black males face in acquiring their high school diplomas. It provides insight into the challenges that these students face and the link between high suspension rates and high dropout rates. As a result, the paper examines the connection between the dropout rate and our prison population.