Comments on: More on student discipline in Oakland — and a list of suspension-free schools

By: J.R.

J.R. — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:24:05 +0000

The NAACP did bring up a few valid points:

1. There are teachers that need to go.

2. Social promotion has to be scrapped.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJCtQg7QUQI

By: Harold

Harold — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:00:09 +0000

I hope these (disciplinary) realities don’t lead to stereotyping the well-behaved Black Students – like my son.

By: J.R.

J.R. — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:52:02 +0000

Gordon,
You are right, and one of the issues -NOT- brought up by the presentation of the NAACP to the school board on this very subject of AA discipline, is the lack of parental responsibility as a root cause. This is not about racism, this is about the personal failure of people to be responsible, civil and respectful. Here is some more evidence:

http://www.bvblackspin.com/2011/04/05/new-study-black-women-have-highest-rate-of-children-with-differ/

By: Gordon Danning

Gordon Danning — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 07:22:08 +0000

I guess that depends on what you mean by “significant.” If it means, “the result of something that the District is doing wrong,” then, no. Everyone knows that young males of all races are more likely than young females to commit crimes, act the fool, etc. And, it is my experience that African American students are more likely than the average student to, for example, be in the hallways during class time. In addition, African American students are more likely than the average student to respond angrily, disrespectfully, and/or vulgarly to a teacher’s request to go to class, stop disrupting, turn off your cell phone, etc, etc.

Now, that tendency might be the result of Institutional Racism, Global Capitalism, Global Communism, The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy, the Illuminati, the ZOG, or fill-in-the-blank; regardless, it is a real phenomenon, and hence it is not surprising that the suspension numbers look as they do. In fact, in my experience, administrators bend over backwards in an effort NOT to suspend African American students.

By: Katy Murphy

Katy Murphy — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 05:48:07 +0000

Interesting. Can you elaborate on your last point? Do you think twice as likely isn’t significant?

I think the percentage of black males attending OUSD schools is actually closer to 17 percent (I said less than 20), but maybe that’s not relevant to your analysis.

By: Gordon Danning

Gordon Danning — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 05:25:45 +0000

Katy:

Is there any way to figure out how many individual students were suspended? There might have been 6,000 suspensions, but is that 6000 kids suspended once each, or 1000 kids suspended 6 times each. (I’m betting it is closer to the latter than to the former).

I’d also be curious to see the gender/racial breakdown re: number of individual students suspended, rather than total suspensions.

Also, the statistic on black male suspensions is less significant than it might seem; if black males are only twice as likely to come to the attention of authority figures, and only twice as likely to be defiant when than happens, then if they make up 20% of the student body then they will make up 50% of the suspensions.

By: J.R.

J.R. — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:08:49 +0000

Here is a very good read on the subject:

http://www.city-journal.org/html/15_3_black_family.html

By: J.R.

J.R. — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:00:54 +0000

Parent Stuck,
I don’t think that is necessarily so, some of the women said flat out that not having a school in close proximity to their home was a hardship(translation:my childcare is too far away). If you watch the school board meeting just after the Brown shooting, you will see the mother state that he was a “good boy”(even though good boys don’t generally spend their time committing crimes, or even just be in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people). This speaks volumes about the core problem we face as a society. These young boys never mature and grow up into responsible adults because they are always holding on to momma’s skirt, even when and if they have kids of their own(not that momma was a very responsible person either). Many of these children are perpetual adolescents and never grow up, psychologists say its a form of Infantilism & victimhood I believe. Yes they a non-working mama’s tax refund(so, the more the better as the saying goes).

By: livegreen

livegreen — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:28:58 +0000

I 2nd Makingitgoaway’s question in #8: please advise about Middle School #’s?

Also, do any of the schools with higher FRL #’s have OFCY, social emotional counselor or other programs?

By: Mario

Mario — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:46:50 +0000

How can we suspend parents?

This whole parent involvement stuff is a bunch of crap in the urban low income inner cities.Those who have admintered schools will attest that students are ok- its the parents who need to be suspended and outlawed at times.

What can schools do to protect themselves from crazy, aggressive and ridiculous parents? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!