Month: April 2021

The last subject I wanted to turn my attention to in my civic issues blog is the racial discrepancies among suspension rates in our education system. A study based on data from 2015 to 2016 by the Center for Civil Rights Remedies found that per 100 students, black children lost an approximate 103 days of schooling as compared to 21 days for white students. This rate was also higher for black boys, with an estimated 132 days for boys and 77 for black girls. 

These findings are significant, and highlight the fact that these statistics are often much more disproportionate on the state level as compared to national statistics. In some states, such as Missouri, black students lost up to 162 more days of instruction than white students. This effect is not just limited to black students; in New Hampshire Hispanic students had 72 less days of schooling due to suspensions and in North Carolina students of Native American origin were removed from school for an average of 102 more days than their white counterparts. 

Explanations for this phenomenon are caused by a number of factors, including inherent biases, socio-economic factors, and family structure. 

There is a notable relation between family environments and suspension rates. Black children who shared a home with married biological parents had a suspension rate estimated at 12%, as compared to 28% for black children that did not live with both parents. Using this model, the racial discrepancies in suspension rates were reduced 55% as compared to only 38% when solely accounting for socio-economic causes. This explanation might correlate with the racial gap concerning suspension, as it was found that black students are 72% more likely to live separately from their birth parents as compared to 37% of white students. 

This is significant because suspension has serious implications on future behavioral issues as well as dropout rates. Recurring suspensions additionally set a precedent for future crime rates. Less schooling can mean a higher chance of future run-ins with the crime as well as less job opportunities. Some have described this as the “school-to-prison pipeline”, wherein punishments at school can lead individuals closer to their first experience with the criminal justice system. In some cases, an individual’s first arrest can even occur at school, therefore involving them in the justice system. 

Furthermore, students are two times as likely to be apprehended during a time period that they are suspended from school. With suspension rates up more than 10% since the early 2000’s, it is easy to see how this can create a serious issue regarding racial disparities within the criminal justice system. It is important to target this at the source by implementing strike policies and other programs that treat suspension as what it should be: a worst case scenario. Overall, it is important to consider the lasting implications of suspension before condemning a student from time away from important education time.

The next issue I would like to address within our nation’s education system is common core curriculum. This system is meant to provide a standard for what is included in education throughout the country. However, common curriculum limits both students and teachers alike.

With common core curriculum, students learn to memorize the information for the sole purpose of passing the annual standardized tests. This in itself leads to numerous issues. For one, because most questions are surface-level and often multiple choice, students are not taught critical thinking skills. In addition, everything that is deemed “important” for education has to be organized into a few core subjects. In this manner, anything that does not fit into these subjects is not seen as necessary or prioritized equally. This discourages creativity for both the student and the teacher, who is then forced to teach within these narrow parameters. To simplify, the primary focus of the teachers becomes whatever material is on the test- which surely does not encompass the countless important things there are to learn that don’t fit into the standard curriculum. 

The core curriculum teaches students that standardized tests are the most important aspect of school. As I have discussed before, however, the standardized testing system is flawed in itself. In addition to not assessing complex thought, it is biased culturally, and perpetuates the ideal that college is the only natural next step. Moreover, the entire system is tailored to students who are good test takers. Others who do not excel at this one mode of evaluation or can’t keep up with the curriculum may give up or feel discouraged because this is the only way their progress and learning capacity are measured. 

All of these factors have led to the growing public recognition of this system’s failure. As a result, support for the common core curriculum is dropping over the years. In 2012 and 2013, there were high public opinions for the common core. However, from 2013 to 2014, this support began to drop. Then, in 2016, the matter reached a turning point wherein more teachers opposed the system rather than supported it. At 51% disapproval versus 41% approval, it was becoming evident that distaste for the system was growing. Among the disapproval results, 32% of the surveyed teachers strongly opposed it, compared to the other 19% who somewhat opposed it. 

There is not just one way to learn, nor is there one set way to teach. So why should we support a system that enforces one rigid standard of education?