Giving Compass' Take:

· According to a new study by the University of Missouri and the University of Virginia, creating a positive school climate for students can help reduce suspensions by up to 10 percent. 

· How can schools create a positive school climate? What is involved in creating this environment?

· Here's how suspensions hurt students academically. 

The findings come as the Federal Commission on School Safety, under the leadership of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, recommended Tuesday that the administration eliminate Obama-era guidance that sought to limit discipline disparities based on race. The guidance urged schools to implement alternatives to out-of-school suspension, such as restorative practices.

Federal data show that even as out-of-school suspensions have declined overall, black and Hispanic students are still three times more likely to be suspended than white students. Students of color also attend schools with a greater police presence, which civil rights groups — which argued in favor of maintaining the guidance during the commission’s listening sessions — say criminalizes behavior that in the past was handled at the school level. Some school leaders, however, have said the guidance limited their ability to make discipline-related decisions that they felt were right for their schools.

Read the full article about positive school climates by Linda Jacobson at Education Dive.