As noted above, one concern around the use of BTAM at schools across the country is the potential for its impact on schools’ use of exclusionary discipline practices overall and whether exclusionary discipline is used fairly across the student population (for a review, see Cornell et al., 2025).
cite page 98 Ch 12: What Do Principals Think Are the Effects of Their BTAM Programs?
A BTAM program is not intended to increase the use of exclusionary discipline or criminal justice responses; instead, the approach encourages supporting interventions matched to individual student needs.
cite page 98 Ch 12: What Do Principals Think Are the Effects of Their BTAM Programs?
We asked principals to estimate the impact of their BTAM program on the level of exclusionary discipline (suspensions and expulsions) at their school and on rates at which such practices might affect different student groups.
cite page 98 Ch 12: What Do Principals Think Are the Effects of Their BTAM Programs?
Sample (N = 1377) · Teams answering program impact questions
Few principals (7 percent) said they believe that BTAM programs are leading to increased use of exclusionary discipline practices.
cite page 98 Ch 12: What Do Principals Think Are the Effects of Their BTAM Programs?
As shown in Figure 12.5, principals were split over whether their BTAM program decreased their use of exclusionary discipline practices or had no impact in this area.
cite page 98 Ch 12: What Do Principals Think Are the Effects of Their BTAM Programs?
Although this represents a small subset of schools, such responses merit additional examination to identify what might be driving such changes.
cite page 98 Ch 12: What Do Principals Think Are the Effects of Their BTAM Programs?
Most principals also believe that their BTAM programs did not contribute to disparities in the use of exclusionary discipline practices across different groups of students.
cite page 98 Ch 12: What Do Principals Think Are the Effects of Their BTAM Programs?
At best, principals perceived that their BTAM programs were helping reduce differences in use of these practices across the student population, potentially increasing the fairness of disciplinary practices overall.
cite page 98 Ch 12: What Do Principals Think Are the Effects of Their BTAM Programs?
Sample (N = 1377) · Teams answering program impact questions
Suspension and expulsion rates overall | 53 | 40 | 7
cite page 98 Ch 12: What Do Principals Think Are the Effects of Their BTAM Programs?
Sample (N = 1377) · Teams answering program impact questions
Race | 40 | 58 | [unlabeled]
cite page 98 Ch 12: What Do Principals Think Are the Effects of Their BTAM Programs?
Sample (N = 1377) · Teams answering program impact questions
Gender | 35 | 63
cite page 98 Ch 12: What Do Principals Think Are the Effects of Their BTAM Programs?
Sample (N = 1377) · Teams answering program impact questions
Special education status | 43 | 54
cite page 98 Ch 12: What Do Principals Think Are the Effects of Their BTAM Programs?
This figure depicts response data from the following survey question: “What impact do you think your BTAM program has had on the following outcomes at your school?” (n = 1,377).
cite page 98 Ch 12: What Do Principals Think Are the Effects of Their BTAM Programs?
Includes only those who said their school has a school- or district-level BTAM team.
cite page 98 Ch 12: What Do Principals Think Are the Effects of Their BTAM Programs?
Bars may not sum to totals because of rounding.
cite page 98 Ch 12: What Do Principals Think Are the Effects of Their BTAM Programs?
Some data labels have been removed for readability.
cite page 98 Ch 12: What Do Principals Think Are the Effects of Their BTAM Programs?
We collapsed “significantly decreased” and “decreased” as well as “significantly increased” and “increased” for readability purposes.
cite page 98 Ch 12: What Do Principals Think Are the Effects of Their BTAM Programs?
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