BEE Collective Releases Full Report Addressing Suspensions and Expulsions of Young Black Children

Charleston, South Carolina – The Beloved Early Education and Care Collective (BEE Collective) continues its advocacy campaign announcing the full release of a sobering report addressing South Carolina’s crisis of discriminatory suspension and expulsion of young Black preschool-aged children. The full report, Facing A Broken System: A Crisis of Discriminatory Suspension and Expulsion that Harms Black Children in South Carolina and Charleston County, published by Dr. Melodie Baker and her team at ImpactSTATS, Inc., aims to shed light on the pervasive issue of school and classroom removals experienced by young Black children, with a particular focus on Charleston and its broader state context in South Carolina.

By examining the forces at play in this type of discipline, based on exclusion, and highlighting the issue of implicit bias, hoping to raise awareness of the driving factors that contribute to this crisis. The report highlights that suspended and expelled preschoolers are 10 times more likely to drop out of high school, experience academic failure, and face jail time, proving the school-to-prison pipeline effect, beginning in early education. The full report may be viewed online.

Additionally, Facing a Broken System offers recommendations urging policymakers, educators, and community stakeholders to address implicit and systemic bias and to implement evidence-based strategies that prioritize prevention over punishment.

The preliminary findings were released in March 2024 alongside a 2-page interim report entitled KICKED OUT: A Crisis of Discriminatory Suspension and Expulsion that Harms Black Children in South Carolina and Charleston County. To launch the advocacy campaign, an in-person Preschooler Town Hall event was held on April 12, 2024, at Fresh Future Farm in Downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Dr. Baker was in attendance, offering an opportunity to engage with children and concerned parents, families, and BEE Collective, while enjoying an evening of food, arts and crafts, and community. 

A second event, KICKED OUT: A Virtual Town Hall, bookended Black Maternal Health Week, hosted on April 18, 2024 by BEE Collective. The event included BEE’s Co-founder and Community Leader, Dr. Kim Nesta Archung, along with BEE’s Community Champion, Stephanie McFadden, the virtual town hall event was moderated by community advocate Shantell Scott Twumasi and featured three experts on the panel to discuss and address the KICKED OUT report findings and how the research impacts the community-at-large.

Expert panelists include: Dr. Melodie Baker – KICKED OUT  Report Lead, ImpactSTATS, Inc.; Iheoma U. Iruka, Ph.D. – Founding Director, Equity Research Action Coalition and Research Professor, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (UNC-Chapel Hill); and parent, Mavis G. Huger, Senior Corporate Counsel at Ingevity Corporation. A recording of this event and accompanying resources are available at beecollect.sg-host.com.

The BEE Collective has additionally hosted two virtual open forums with administrators of the Charleston County School District. These events and more planned for the remainder of the calendar year are part of a larger initiative and campaign aimed at coalition building to specifically address the harming of Black children in South Carolina and beyond, and to provide resources to promote greater awareness, better education, and more meaningful advocacy for the community’s most impressionable population.

“Perhaps, if we could correct our suspension mistakes with our preschool kids, it might lead to correcting our mistakes in other areas. But we first have to be willing to admit the presence of our personal bias and be willing to take the steps to address our bias,” said BEE Collective’s Campaign Manager, Treva Williams.

These programs are funded in part by Voices for Healthy Kids®, an initiative of the American Heart Association working to improve or create equitable policies that will make the places kids live, learn, and play healthier. For specific inquiries or to schedule an interview, contact Adrienne Troy-Frazier at 843-405-7607 or adrienne@beecollect.sg-host.com. 

ImpactSTATS, Inc. is a research and evaluation firm specializing in education, public health, and scientific research programs. We primarily collaborate with state governments, community-based organizations, institutions of higher education, and foundations. ImpactSTATS‘ overarching mission includes a strong emphasis on serving underserved populations, including Black, Latinx, and economically disadvantaged individuals. The organization was launched in 2018 and has swiftly established a track record of excellence – impactstats.org.

Dr. Melodie Baker is a distinguished and esteemed professional in the field of early childhood development, mathematics, research, and evaluation. She is currently the president and founder of ImpactSTATS Inc., a nonprofit specializing in enhancing the social and environmental impact of organizations, through the lens of diversity equity and inclusion. She also serves as the National Policy Director at Just Equations, where she works to advance math education policy through national partnerships, policy initiatives, and research.

Dr. Baker earned her PhD in Educational Psychology and Quantitative Methods from the University at Buffalo in May 2023. Additionally, she holds an advanced graduate certificate in Applied Statistical Analysis, a Master’s in Executive Leadership and Change from Daemen University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from Buffalo State University.