A new report examining student conduct and discipline shows
that suspensions continue to be alarmingly high in the Rochester school
district. More than 54,600 days of instruction were lost due to suspensions
during the 2012-2013 school year, the report says. And
most of the suspensions were for minor offenses.
A second finding is equally disturbing: black students were
suspended at a disproportionately higher rate than their white peers for
similar offenses. And black males with special education needs were most at
risk for suspension.
The report is the work of Metro Justice, Alliance for Quality
Education, Teen Empowerment, and the Advancement Project, says Eamonn Scanlon, co-chair of Metro Justice’s education
committee.
The overuse of suspensions is a national problem, Scanlon
says. And suspensions play a pivotal part in what social workers and educators
refer to as the school-to-prison pipeline.
“This [report] isn’t meant as a harsh criticism of the RCSD,”
Scanlon says. “It’s a community problem and we have to come together as a
community and tackle it.”
Almost all of the data in the report was provided by the
school district, Scanlon says, and Superintendent Bolgen
Vargas has been supportive of the effort.
According to the report, one in 10 city
students was suspended during the 2012-2013 school year. And out of
6,373 suspensions, 88 percent were for nonviolent incidents. The majority were
the result of disruptive behavior that involved no physical contact, the report
says — often beginning as minor incidents that escalated.
The report shows that suspensions were highest for ninth
graders in 2012-2013, and that often snowballs into academic problems for
students, Scanlon says. Many students appear to experience a “transition jump”
from eighth grade to ninth, he says. The loss of instruction time as a result
of suspensions causes many students to fall behind, he says.
There is also a racial component to the suspensions, Scanlon
says. Compared to their white peers, black students were 2.29 times more likely
to be suspended, Latino students were 1.45 times more likely, and black
students with disabilities were 2.6 times more likely.
The district recognizes the racial disparity in its approach
to discipline and student conduct and is working on the problem, says Adele
Bovard, deputy superintendent with the city school district.
The report, which supports the work under way by a community
task force on school climate organized by the Rochester Area Community
Foundation, recommends eliminating suspensions for minor incidents.
And it stresses the need to train teachers and school
officials in alternative approaches that emphasize teaching students
self-management and better decision-making.
Scanlon says that clarity about what constitutes minor,
noncriminal offenses is also urgently needed.
“This isn’t about being soft on discipline,” he says. “It’s
more about having the right resources and services for students, parents, and teachers.”
Metro Justice Report on RCSD Suspensions
This article appears in Nov 12-18, 2014.
This seems to be one of those rare occasions where the D&C provided more analysis on a topic than City. The study showed that 5% of the students accounted for 73% of the suspensions. That sounds like there is a small minority of students that are the problem, not an epidemic of suspensions. They undoubtably disrupt classes for others whenever they are around, and the schools would be better off if they could be expelled and sent elsewhere.
Likewise,very little info so provided on what one considers to be minor infractions. At one point, it is mentioned that non violent infractions are 88%. Is this the same 88%? Similarly, much is made of blacks being suspended at a rate higher than whites without mentioning that whites are 3x as likely to be suspended than Asians. Is this evidence that whites are discriminated against, or that whites break those rules more often? And how do the suspension rates compare to the infraction rates where caught? I do not believe that there was any evidence that the RCSD Treats students differently. The study referenced was done in Texas.
Michael is right, and I also picked up on that point about 5% of students accounting for the large majority of the suspensions. To me, then, it sounds like suspensions might be a good thing, to get the trouble-making 5% out of the classroom so that the non-troublemaking (for the most part) 95% of the students have a chance to receive an education. Not good for the 5%, I realize, and maybe there are better ways of dealing with them. But I consider it positive that it’s such a small percentage that account for the very large majority of suspensions.
Here we go again. Another study telling us something we have known for years. There are too many suspensions and in some cases certain students are unfairly targeted. So what? What is the end game for the small group of connected progressives who consistently come up with these reports and studies? Isn’t it time they told the truth? Radical reform is needed. Why polish a rotten apple?
The study targets teachers and principals. This will lead to a board response followed by a formal policy mandating that every school have an ATS room and of course, everyone will need restorative justice training.
What we won’t hear is that these programs cost money and the paid providers are often close to the people crying injustice in the first place. What a coincidence.
The do-gooders are not fooling anyone. If they wanted to really help, they would put more of their own resources into the schools (for free) and spend less time advocating for exterior initiatives that will no doubt come at a cost.
Craig R. Moffitt @MrHenrietta
Data: Suspensions a problem in city school district http://on.rocne.ws/1uHgZr5 via @DandC … make the suspension in school and make the students do homework all day.
The spin on this subject is disgraceful. What are the setting up for us to believe? Any one that works for the RCSD knows that the suspensions are low. Since ’08 superintendent Bizzard implemented a no suspension regime that has changed very little by 2014. In the D&C article the data released noted that the actual said RCSD suspension data was not completely valid. What? If that is the case what is the purpose of the data?!! Principals are targeted in a negative way if they have many suspensions in their building. No principal wants to be known as the suspension king so where is the data on high suspensions? The arrest?? I have seen kids bringing drugs and weapons to school and NOT being suspended. Journalist may want to talk to the staff that actually work IN the schools. School board members may want to visit the schools ( not just the elementary schools) to know what is going on before they make comments to the press and look foolish. Journalist may want to discuss counter arguements in their articles to give the public a 3 D view on what is really going on. Try asking this question: How much money does the district lose when a student is suspended?
This article and the faux concern for our students has disturbed me more than any subject about the RCSD. It is negligent and irresponsible. Safety is a huge concern . We have a few menacing students wrecking havoc in our schools because they can. They run the schools because they are untouchable. Students do not feel safe. What are we going to do about that? Why is there no discussion about attracting students to want to come to school? The minuscule vocational programs is like throwing a styrofoam life board to a person stranded in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean . The canned answer we get is- we will have to train the teachers and principals so that they can better serve their students needs. Really? They didn’t train their teachers to roll out the new common core , do you think they will spend the money and time to adopt more training? Please! 2015 will mark the 20 year anniversary that RCSD faced a horrendous tragedy. The death of Stephanie Givens. We need to make sure we don’t see anything like that ever again. Having a Wild West mentality and ignoring that big fat white with pink polka dot elephant in the room is something we cannot afford. Not now. Not ever.
MIchael, Gottasayit, kamakazee78… it would seem as if you folks really know what you are talking about so I would ask… tell us what should be done to really change the RCSD and its policies with suspensions ?
I offered one suggestion of an in-school suspension program with more individual monitoring to get the home work done during the day instead of throwing the student out of school. And, for the student (s) to get ahead of the education needed to graduate, on time, in 12 years ,at the age of 17 or 18 years of age through in-school suspensions.
WHAT SHOULD WE DO IN YOUR OPINION to make things work ?
Thank you.
Please…we already know that Mayoral Control, more money thrown at the problems, and common core do not seem to be the answers.
If you are not in the RCSD schools environment you won’t see the reality. If you just visit the “elite schools” that are Magnet ones having the underground privilege to choose their students you won’t see the real problems planted here. When these students go into society they are going to be the problems and the law is not going to stop sending them to prison for big crimes. Like the student who shoot Officer DiPonzio. Warnings came in elementary but nobody listen to the teacher’s complainings.Then having a sixth grader with an electronic device on his ankle for monitoring him as a juvenile offender. But it was ignore everything he could did bullying others. Suspensions looks bad to the eyes of some people but the district needs to put in place serious consequences to the students that do wrong. Minor infractions for some people seems normal and innocent. But when things scale to the point like other states shootings everyone is surprised why that happened. But in reality nobody wants to face the reality of the problems. Our society took the responsibility from the parents and now sadly many parents are not taking responsibility to raise their children as good and productive citizens of this country. Stop giving everything to them. Make them accountable for their own children. They brought into this World now take responsibility.
I so appreciate comments on this issue because they mean that some people still care about public education. The comments reflect exactly the complexities of preparing and schooling children who live in socio-emotional climates of desperation and despair as we fight to prepare them for college and careers yet to be discovered.
The struggle that those of us who grappled with and eventually vetted this report is that just like people in the ancient human societies that we force public school students to study academic concepts when we fundamentally understand that when one’s basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, safety and familial love are not met, then the intellectual pursuit of formalized education is a moot point. Therefore, when a child reveals through their behavior what we already know to be true (they are not socially, emotionally or mentally prepared to appreciate compulsory [forced] education) then we need to believe them the first time. As educational experts, conscientious reporters or astute politicians, we need to consider; is it worth it to force children to go to school if the end result is that they will 1) Keep everyone else’s children from learning; 2) have students arrested for minor infractions; or 3) observe in retrospect how empires (a.k.a. the United States) decline? In any of the above scenarios; as the report shows; the Black and Brown people of America will be criminalized, blamed and abandoned in model that support forced education. The time has come for us to draw a line in the sand… are we for or against public schools putting out children who are not prepared to learn at the levels dictated by the State for various reasons or are we the preparing ourselves to be the safe room that those children run to when all hell breaks loose? ?
The single biggest factor in the success of any school is its culture. Research strongly supports this and no one would disagree. The suspension study alone is fine but it will no doubt be followed by central office action and this will make things worse-not better. The D and C is already advocating for more alternative to suspension rooms not knowing that ATS and others programs don’t work. I would challenge anyone that doubts me to go into a few of these rooms unannounced. Just do it. When will we stop trying to mandate fixes that rely on human emotions?
You can’t mandate compassion or empathy or other emotions. We must fix the heart of the problem, the school culture. We must change the culture at its core and not get distracted by changing policies or procedures. Schools are about people and emotion first. Everyone has forgotten this. Here is your solution….Give the schools back to those who are in them. Pride and ownership drive caring and responsibility. Maslow was right. Environments that are family-like are more conducive to learning. These cultures will only happen if schools like the Pilot Schools in Boston are created. Just google Pilot Schools in Boston and be ready to cry about how far behind we are. The fixes must start in the classrooms, not the offices. The board, union leaders and the superintendent must trust that there are teachers, parents and principals who are more capable than they are.
I see a lot of posturing and “root” socio – economic quotes but what about step one , two, three etc.
Please…gottasayit has a solid idea and I have one too. Please make believe that I know nothing and present a step by step plan to turn it around. I feel all of your pain but the RCSD ADMIN and the Board have not and will not ( maybe ) turn it around so it is up to us. Please keep the step by step ideas coming. Please post them here so we can fix it or our city and county will be doomed in another 10 years.
1. Break up the district. Make it competitive.
2. Make the folks at the top accountable the same way the teachers are.
3. Explore and commit to alternative programs/schools. All city was a success. The district and the board didn’t get any data to see how much of a success it was. I cannot understand how the RCSD who is at the bottom in the state- and no one thought to get data from this program?! Staff who worked there knew about the success.
4. Utilize boces.
5. Hire reading teachers who are familiar with helping older students learn how to read. If you have to cut the already over bloated staff at central office to do this do it. It should be against the law that a child gets to 9th grade and can’t read. This one emotes such a passion in me I can barely contain it. My thinking is this: if we can’t afford to supply our schools with resources that work in teaching all of our children literacy, we can’t afford a school board, secretaries that make 75k a year, a director in charge of RCSDdiscipline(seriously where are you), an AA studies program ( MIA as well), I can go on. And on. OUR KIDS MUST BOOST THEIR READING LEVELS.
6. Higher ups really need to visit the schools more. Not knowing what is going on is a luxury the RCSD cannot afford. I would love to see the dep super work as a building sub for a month, along with Vargas and other important leaders who make very serious decisions.
I’m sure I’ll be kicking myself tomorrow because I forgot one or two. Enjoy your holiday!
I LIKE WHAT KAMAKAZZE HAD TO SAY ABOUT HOW TO FIX THE RCSD… I hope the board ( VAN WHITE ) and the Supt. read this…this is a way to make it work. Stick with this plan for 10 years with no deviations.
1. Break up the district. Make it competitive.
2. Make the folks at the top accountable in the same way as teachers are made to be accountable.
3. Explore and commit to alternative programs/schools. All city was a success. The district and the board didn’t get any data to see how much of a success it was. I cannot understand how the RCSD who is at the bottom in the state – and no one thought to get data from this program?! Staff who worked there knew about the success.
4. Utilize BOCES.
5. Hire reading teachers who are familiar with helping older students learn how to read. If you have to cut the already over bloated staff at central office to do this…then do it. It should be against the law that a child gets to 9th grade and can’t read. This one emotes such a passion in me I can barely contain it. My thinking is this: if we can’t afford to supply our schools with resources that work in teaching all of our children literacy, we can’t afford a school board, secretaries that make $75 k a year, a director in charge of RCSD discipline (seriously where are you), an AA studies program ( MIA as well), I can go on, and on. OUR KIDS MUST BOOST THEIR READING LEVELS TO SUCCEED AND GRADUATE ON TIME.
6. Higher ups really need to visit the schools more often. Not knowing what is going on is a luxury the RCSD cannot afford. I would love to see the Dep. superintendent work as a building substitute for a month, along with Vargas and other important leaders who make very serious decisions.
I’m sure I’ll be kicking myself tomorrow because I forgot one or two. Enjoy your holiday!