Children attending preschool in California and the nation are expelled at three times the rate of older students, according to a landmark new study that is provoking surprise and alarm among educators and parents.
In a report scheduled for release today, the Yale Child Study Center found that nearly seven preschool children per 1,000 are being expelled -- for behavioral problems -- from state-funded programs, compared with 2.1 per 1,000 elementary, middle and high school students.
In addition, 4-year-olds are expelled more often than 3-year-olds, and boys are expelled at 4.5 times the rate of girls. African American children are twice as likely to be expelled as Latinos or whites and five times as likely as Asian American children.
"There are two reactions of shock to this report: from those with intimate knowledge about this problem and are shocked that there is finally data to back up their experience, and from the other group that doesn't spend a lot of time in classrooms and is shocked that any young child would be expelled," said study coauthor Walter S. Gilliam, an assistant professor of child psychiatry and psychology at Yale University.
The study, "Prekindergarteners Left Behind," explored the expulsion rates of 52 state-funded preschool programs in 40 states and serving nearly 800,000 children. Providers included public schools, Head Start, nonprofit and for-profit centers, faith-based and other community programs.
The study was based on data gathered by the Yale center's National Prekindergarten Study. Teachers in a random sample of about 4,800 classrooms were surveyed about children expelled for behavioral problems during the previous year. About 81% of teachers responded.
New Mexico had the highest rate, with 21 children expelled per 1,000 enrolled; Kentucky reported none. Expulsions for prekindergarteners exceeded those in elementary, middle and high schools in all but three states.
Expulsion rates also varied by classroom setting: the lowest in classrooms located in public schools and in Head Start programs, and the highest in faith-affiliated centers and for-profit child care.
Gilliam said many of the programs, including California's, are intended for poor families, where children would tend to have more special needs.
One implication of the findings is that children most in need of early intervention and counseling services are not receiving them.
