Journal of K-12 Educational Research 67 present challenging behavior. Research contends that effective schools encourage teachers and administrators to become surrogate families for students that may not have the most robust support system at home (Gordon et al., 2009; Osterman, 2000). Conclusions The purpose of the current study was to uncover the District’s DAEP placement trends through the analysis of assigned students’ sociodemographic and referral characteristics. The current study also took into account administrators’ perceptions of recidivism risk factors. Unfortunately, the current study confirmed existing research suggesting disparate discipline practices across the District at the high school level. The current study exposed a problem that may have been previously overlooked by District leaders and campus administrators. Although the identification of a discipline gap in DAEP placement is an important first step, it is not the most significant aspect of the current study. The most noteworthy feature of the current study is that it is essentially a multilayered blueprint for future action. When the perceived risk factors of DAEP recidivism are considered in conjunction with the quantitative results, it produces fertile ground to begin exploring the intricacies of the problem. Campus administrators are not confined to address placement issues based on their own feelings or perspectives. The current study provides statistical evidence and insights from multiple campus leaders with different and similar characteristics. Furthermore, since the quantitative data are arranged according to campus, it serves as an introduction to discourse on campusspecific discipline practices, more detailed discipline data collection, and subsequent action. The current study could potentially serve as the starting point of a protracted, yet rewarding, journey toward equitable discipline practices within the District and beyond. References Annamma, S., Anyon, Y., Joseph, N., Farrar, J., Greer, E., Downing, B., & Simmons, J. (2019). Black girls and school discipline: The complexities of being overrepresented and understudied. Urban Education, 54(2), 211-242. Anzalone, J. A. (2015). Educators’ perspectives on secondary education alternative placement, student recidivism, and treatment models (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (Order No. 3705129). Avery, K. (2016). Factors that cause repeated referral to the disciplinary alternative education program (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (UMI No. 10248674). Balfanz, R., Byrnes, V., & Fox, J. (2015). Sent home and put of track: The antecedents, disproportionalities, and consequences of being suspended in the 9th grade. In D. J. Losen (Ed.), Closing the school discipline gap: Equitable remedies for excessive exclusion (pp. 17–30). New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Barrera, A., Jr. (2011). Factors contributing to recidivism among students placed in a discipline alternative education program in a south Texas school district (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (UMI No. 3477341). Booker, K., & Mitchell, A. (2011). Patterns in recidivism and discretionary placement in disciplinary alternative education: The impact of gender, ethnicity, age, and special education status. Education and Treatment of Children, 34(2), 193-208. Brown, C. A., & Di Tillio, C. (2013). Discipline disproportionality among Hispanic and American Indian students: Expanding the discourse in U.S. research. Journal of Education and Learning, 2(4), 47–59. Cobb, A. B. (2008). Assessing the effectiveness of disciplinary alternative education programs for secondary students in the Dallas independent school district (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (UMI No. 3340472). Coleman, D. A. (2002). The effect of high school disciplinary alternative education programs on students with long-term multiple referrals (Doctoral dissertation). Available from
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