A voice of reason......
From the Columbus Dispatch of all places????
Editorial from October 28th Columbus Dispatch
Worth closer look
Racial analysis of discipline statistics should be scrutinized
Schools should try to find out why, especially in suburban districts, suspensions and other discipline measures are imposed disproportionately on black students. A meaningful study, however, will require a lot more than simple statistics. The numbers certainly invite a closer look: In most Franklin County school districts, blacks represent far higher percentages of suspensions in any given year than their percentages of the student bodies. In Pickerington City Schools, where black parents have organized to protest the situation, black students make up 15 percent of the population but represent 53 percent of student suspensions.
Some people conclude that teachers and administrators are biased, but the conclusion isn?’t fair without further examination of what lies behind the numbers.
There are several possibilities.
A study last year of discipline in Columbus Public Schools showed that about 7 percent of the student body accounted for more than half of all discipline infractions. Other school districts might be similarly populated by repeat offenders. If so, especially in smaller districts where the numbers are low to start with, a few black students with many repeat suspensions could skew the numbers.
Higher rates of poverty and family dysfunction could mean black students come to school with greater personal problems and, therefore, are more likely to act out in ways that get them into trouble.
Most districts have fewer black teachers, proportionately, than black students. The possibility that white teachers might be less familiar and, therefore, less comfortable with black students isn?’t unthinkable.
Percentages also can appear dramatic simply because the sampled numbers are so low. If a district suspends two students in a year, and one of them is black, then black students make up 50 percent of those suspended. That sounds like an extreme suspension rate until one knows how many students it represents.
Learning what lies behind discipline statistics isn?’t easy. It could take a significant investigation and a commitment on the part of school officials to gather and use such data.
That commitment would be worthwhile. Such discrepancies demand attention. Even if the underlying causes turn out to have nothing to do with racial bias, knowing more about those causes could increase understanding of discipline problems.
And that would serve everyone well.
From the Columbus Dispatch of all places????
Editorial from October 28th Columbus Dispatch
Worth closer look
Racial analysis of discipline statistics should be scrutinized
Schools should try to find out why, especially in suburban districts, suspensions and other discipline measures are imposed disproportionately on black students. A meaningful study, however, will require a lot more than simple statistics. The numbers certainly invite a closer look: In most Franklin County school districts, blacks represent far higher percentages of suspensions in any given year than their percentages of the student bodies. In Pickerington City Schools, where black parents have organized to protest the situation, black students make up 15 percent of the population but represent 53 percent of student suspensions.
Some people conclude that teachers and administrators are biased, but the conclusion isn?’t fair without further examination of what lies behind the numbers.
There are several possibilities.
A study last year of discipline in Columbus Public Schools showed that about 7 percent of the student body accounted for more than half of all discipline infractions. Other school districts might be similarly populated by repeat offenders. If so, especially in smaller districts where the numbers are low to start with, a few black students with many repeat suspensions could skew the numbers.
Higher rates of poverty and family dysfunction could mean black students come to school with greater personal problems and, therefore, are more likely to act out in ways that get them into trouble.
Most districts have fewer black teachers, proportionately, than black students. The possibility that white teachers might be less familiar and, therefore, less comfortable with black students isn?’t unthinkable.
Percentages also can appear dramatic simply because the sampled numbers are so low. If a district suspends two students in a year, and one of them is black, then black students make up 50 percent of those suspended. That sounds like an extreme suspension rate until one knows how many students it represents.
Learning what lies behind discipline statistics isn?’t easy. It could take a significant investigation and a commitment on the part of school officials to gather and use such data.
That commitment would be worthwhile. Such discrepancies demand attention. Even if the underlying causes turn out to have nothing to do with racial bias, knowing more about those causes could increase understanding of discipline problems.
And that would serve everyone well.
