Understanding school discipline and exclusion in Australia: key issues

Exclusionary school discipline is an emerging field of research in Australia, whereas it is more established in contexts such as the United States and United Kingdom. In this article we, therefore, seek to understand how exclusionary school discipline has been examined by Australian education researchers working across a range of disciplines. We conducted a critical literature review, analysing research directly and indirectly investigating school discipline and exclusion and (1) disability; (2) racialisation; (3) teacher safety and relationships with students; and 4) non-punitive responses to ‘student disruption’. The insights from this body of research demonstrate the need for further research that seeks to understand exclusionary school discipline within longer histories of settler colonialism and influenced by structural factors such as racism and ableism. Further, there are opportunities for research that engages the collective capacity of schools and communities in imagining radically different approaches to school and inclusion, that transform injustices and build solidarities.