Exclusion decisions of middle school principals

The decision by a principal to exclude a student from school is a serious one that costs the student gravely. The intent of this study was to understand the phenomenon of how principals make the decisions to exclude students from school. Twelve middle school principals from a single school district were the participants of this study. A focused interview was conducted and the responses analyzed for patterns and themes using the ethic of care and the ethic of justice as a theoretical template. Other data reviewed included: the school improvement plans; and the schools’ majority/minority rate, free and reduced lunch rates, outof- school suspension rates, in-school suspension rates, special education rates, aberrant behavior rates and mobility rates. These outcomes were compared to the principals’ exclusion rates to determine if patterns would emerge.