In this 2020 article, data from 8,876 adolescents is examined to see the effects of suspension on children receiving the punishment as well as peers who are not. Using collaterall consequences and social stress framework, researchers examine whether exclusionary school discipline strategies associated with the mental health and wellbeing of adolescents who have never been suspended or expelled. They concluded that discipline policies may have collateral consequences for the mental health of non-excluded students. The study shows a significant positive association with depressive symptoms. Concluding that suspension can create a stressful environment for all students, including those are are not receiving the discipline.

This study shows that suspended youth have worse adult outcomes than non-suspended youth. According to some estimates nearly three million students are suspended each year. These numbers effecting minority students far more than their non-minority peers. This study aims to compare educational and criminal justice outcomes of 480 youth suspended for the first time with those of 1,193 matched non-suspended youth from a nationally representative sample. Twelve years after suspension (ages 25-32), suspended youth were less likely than matched nonsuspended youth to have earned bachelor’s degrees or high school diplomas, and were more likely to have been arrested and on probation, suggesting that suspension rather than selection bias explains negative outcomes.

This 2020 article explores the relationship between teacher well being and the increase of expulsion/suspension. Using a self-report surgery, researchers studied preschools in a large Midwestern city (N = 124), logistic regressions predicting teachers’ expulsion requests shed light on associated factors. Findings indicated that teachers with depression were much more likely to be expelled. Teacher-reported emotional intelligence, perceptions of their students’ externalizing behaviors, and center climate were not significantly associated with expulsion requests. In conclusion attending to teacher mental health and early childhood mental health consultants may be important in reducing rates of exclusionary discipline in early education settings.

The literature from the article above underlines the importance of training students in this practice as it could represent a beneficial process for the whole school: through peer mediation, students can experiment using their conflict resolution skills, become able to independently manage problems, conflicts, differences, repair and build relationships, and feel being an active part of the decision-making process by building shared solutions themselves and not letting the school solve problems for them.