Maybe money or a grant is necessary to train parents on how to raise their children. Obviously something is lacking this in this area. Children as well as some parents are not understanding that simple word, respect. When you consider yourself a responsible adult but feel it okay for you to walk into a classroom and attack the teacher, something is wrong. A bad example of adult behavior is shown to the other students in the classroom and it was certainly not the right example to show to your own child. Violence only begets violence. Training is needed for parents who for reason or another just don't understand how to raise responsible adults.

Why in the world should kids have any respect for teachers or adults in general, when their parents are sitting at home, on welfare, doing drugs??

Upbringing is everything and morals and values are severely lacking in this city.

Stop criminals, people without jobs (and no desire to get one), and teenagers from having kids and maybe the problems will cease.

Seems pretty consistent with The Algebra Project's message, "No Education. No Life."

Kudos to the School System and to the Health Department for releasing this study.

It makes two important points for me: first, suspending/expelling students without interventions or not following up on truancy/student absences puts students in harm's way. Second, despite the violence in our schools, they are still the safest place for children to be.

A very big - and underappreciated - part of fixing Baltimore's dismal youth outcomes is to make sure that every child attends school regularly. Schools can't teach students who aren't there. When children miss school they fall behind, when they fall behind, they act out, disengage and miss more school. The study released yesterday tells us the rest of this tragic story.

Baltimore's public schools need to teach our children, but as a community, we need to figure out how to help ensure that kids show up at the school house door - every day, starting in Pre-K.

I find it interesting that the article calls for fixing the schools, then two lines down on the web page is an article about a teen shooting his/her mother and then police! Perhaps it is NOT directly a school problem but rather a society problem? How can the schools be responsible for these kind of outside influences?

The problem isn't with parents who aren't raising their children, or who are raising the differently.
What is lacking is respect for the children in most schools, where they are told "Do it my way or it's the highway!" so they get tired of going.
Add to that, the fact that they are sometimes BORED OUT OF THEIR MINDS and that is why they stop going to school, because they already know what the teacher is 'teaching' them...... and you see where the problems come from.

As to the 'responsible adults' thing..... could we please DROP that lie! There is no such thing. One person's 'responsible adult' might not be another person's responsible adult.
There is NO consensus on that in this world, and never will be a consensus on that.

The only thing that 'responsible adults' don't do is take crap from other people... that is my idea of a 'responsible adult': someone who stands up for themselves and their family.

As a teacher I agree with the findings that kids who are regularly out of school are the ones who are more likely to be involved in crime or even end up dead. However I do not think that this is a result of them being out of school. Often issue of truancy and suspension come because they are already headed down a dangerous path (involved in gangs, selling drugs etc.) and at that point by keeping them in a regular school setting puts every other student at risk. Their behaviors are often to much for teachers and adminstrators to take care of and they are in great need of an alternative learning enviroment. Furhtermore when these students come to school they are not coming to learn they come to cause chaos, recruit new members to their crew, run halls and socalize. Theses are the students that make it impossible to teach and impossible for other studetns to learn. What the city needs is to create more alternative learning centers which use practices and techniques that will show students the consequences to their actions. Also Dr. Alonso"s idea about letting the schools handle their own budget would be great if he actually gave the schools the money they needed. Ask any principle in the city right now how they feel about the budget and you are garenteed to get a response filled with frustration due to the fact the money given is just not enough. Principals are now having to take into account things like paper towels, janitors, and teacher's saleries in addition to books and supplies. Many schools do not have enough money in their budget to keep all their teachers let alone hire some one just for the role of in school suspension. I see this study as a great support for his notion of little to no suspensions, but if he where to step out of his quiet office on North ave. and come visit these problem schools not as "Dr. Alsonso" just as an observer I think he would come to a very different conclusion.

Ok a couple things. Regarding the parent that walked into the classroom and assaulted the student how was the parent able to just walk into a school and make to the classroom without security stopping her along the way? The same way the parent got to the teacher could be the same way a student or an outsider could enter the school and do Gods knows what to students and teachers. Well thought out security is a must in Baltimore City schools.

I believe that crime in and outside of schools in part is driven by truancy. On any given day you will find hundreds of school age kids in the malls, on the streets, and everywhere else except in the schools. I’m not sure if there are still truant officers that patrol the streets looking for school age kids like when I was growing up but there sure needs to be. If the kids are on the streets not productively making use of their time trouble is the only thing left for them to get into.

If the issue is funding for truant officers then the Baltimore City Police and Public Schools Police should pick up the slack get the kids off the streets then hen and only then will there be a decrease in crime in the streets that in turn leads to unrest in the classroom on a few levels.

I love the comments from Dr. Alonso regarding in-school suspension. Because these kids are generally not disciplined at home, out of school suspension is nothing more than a vacation day. I think all school suspensions should be served in school.

I have days as a teacher in this system that feel very emotionally overwhelming. It tends to be on the days where I think "big picture." After reading the blog the last two days, today has become one of those days.

I applaud Dr. Alonso around every corner. I think forging a partnership with the Public Health Dept. is a great idea.Truancy and homicide rates are definitely negatively correlated. I know from each and every day that I step foot in my school that the community has neglected their duty to the youth of this town, but then I read about teachers being confronted in the classroom by parents (this has happened too many times to count to myself-not for a fight per se, but with little sense of respect/decorum or tact when in the middle of teaching a lesson), and I think to myself..."This is a constant dance of one step forward, three steps back." How do we ever go about not only tackling these issues if one part of the solution is always attempting to sabotage another part of the solution?

It is easy to suggest that fixing the schools and increasing attendance will positively impact the homicide rates and overall health of the community, but thats almost too obvious a statement. How do we take that obvious empirical data and translate it into something meaningful for our students in the short-term, both for the success of the students and the viability of the teachers already in the system?

I know that taking the neglect in this town will take longer than it took for it to all set in in the first place, but I also need, on days like these, to have some tangible quality in my hand that keeps me coming back, in the face of all odds....

I hope my cherished students show up on this rainy day to snap me out of this big picture mentality and show me the small rewards....

Ok a couple things. Regarding the parent that walked into the classroom and assaulted the student how was the parent able to just walk into a school and make to the classroom without security stopping her along the way? The same way the parent got to the teacher could be the same way a student or an outsider could enter the school and do Gods knows what to students and teachers. Well thought out security is a must in Baltimore City schools.

I believe that crime in and outside of schools in part is driven by truancy. On any given day you will find hundreds of school age kids in the malls, on the streets, and everywhere else except in the schools. I’m not sure if there are still truant officers that patrol the streets looking for school age kids like when I was growing up but there sure needs to be. If the kids are on the streets not productively making use of their time trouble is the only thing left for them to get into.

If the issue is funding for truant officers then the Baltimore City Police and Public Schools Police should pick up the slack get the kids off the streets then hen and only then will there be a decrease in crime in the streets that in turn leads to unrest in the classroom on a few levels.

Truancy: The root of all school safety problems!

“No child falls through the cracks. They are dropped through or shoved through by lazy, emotionally immature adults and unethical professionals”

After the Columbine shootings I made this statement during an interview on national television. The reporter asked if I really believed that statement and I replied, “absolutely!”

But you may ask what this statement has to do with the issue of truancy? Simple, truant children – who are routinely late or absent – come from dysfunctional homes. Those homes in my experience are lead by caregivers who are more concerned about their own pleasures and convenience than the welfare of their children. Some may say that this is an unkind assessment. My response to them is simple, visit these homes and you will see that this is not an aberration.

While some caregivers have a difficult time because of poverty, work schedules or transitioning to a single parent household; the majority simply refuse to exercise self control or basic order in their homes.

And this assessment is supported by various national studies. Research from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the U.S. Department of Education have found that child neglect and family disorganization are major factors in truancy. The OJJDP also found that “Truancy has been clearly identified as one of the early warning signs of students headed for potential delinquent activity, social isolation, or educational failure via suspension, expulsion, or dropping out.”
More disturbing is a document that I have used for many years in criminal profiling, the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol (J-SOAP-II). In this well respected assessment tool, caregiver issues and truancy become connected as impetuses for teen sex offender development:

• Inconstant and instable caregivers before the age of 10. Multiple changes in caregivers and living situations.
• Chronic truancy, fighting with peers or teachers.

Dr Gerald Patterson sums up the issue this way, “Parenting plays a critical role in the development process of children. Early discipline failures are a primary casual factor in the development of conduct problems. Harsh discipline, low supervision, lack of parental involvement all add to the development of aggressive children”
Bullying, sexual harassment, negative behavior cliques and aggression towards staff are all done by children who come from dysfunctional homes. But beyond the home environment, schools have a big stake in controlling truancy. Not only is it a major part of NCLB compliance but it affects all school safety issues. The US DOE has tracked the following school issues that directly contribute to truancy.
• Lack of effective and consistently applied attendance policies.
• Poor record-keeping, making truancy difficult to spot.
• Teacher characteristics, such as lack of respect for students and neglect of diverse student needs.
• Unsafe environment, for example a school with ineffective discipline policies where bullying is tolerated. [5 percent of students in grades 9 through 12 skipped school because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to or from school.]
Truancy happens in rural, suburban and urban schools and all classes of families. School must take control of their truancy problems or they are bound to be overtaken by it.

A well managed school is a safe school! www.SERAPH.net

I think we need to think outside the box in terms of what we have to do with our children. If we think of this problem in terms of business and marketing, we have been no match for the allure of fast money, girls, and peer admiration. Instead of offering the normal enlgish, math, and science courses, alternative courses should be offered. I think young, black celebrities should also take this problem seriously. They complain about how the white man is the problem, when they have the opportunity to take the time and/or money to help these kids realize there is a better way. When you grow up in a hopeless environment, you adapt to your surroundings.

Another problem is the fact that no one seems to think there's a need to act until the problem gets way out of hand.

I agree that parents need to grow-up, but the parents were once troubled children themselves. The likelihood of changing them is very slim.

My uncle was a project kid who grew up to be a millionaire businessman. If he can do that, certainly these children shouldn't give up on the thought of enjoying some success.
The parents should want that for their children.

dont train the teachers or administrators, train the parents...if you can find them.

Fix the Schools! What a joke.
Fix the Parents and kids are no longer a problem. Look at the Numbers people, Baltimore spends more per child than just about any
city. It's so easy to blame everything and everyone, but the people most responsible for the problem. NO....
we can't do that.Balh, Blah, Blah.
What, make parents accountable?
This is Baltimore City, it will never happen....

I believe we would go a long way toward decreasing the truancy rate if we offered programs that address the skills and interests of more students. Thanks to NCLB, we are torturing students by forcing them to take more classes focused on the tested areas. Students need to be able to take classes in drama and pottery and home economics and shop and psychology and public speaking, etc. The other issue is that smaller high schools do not have the means to offer a wide variety of courses. We need to take a long hard look at the programs being offered to find out how we can meet the needs of our students and help them WANT to be in school. This has to go hand-in-hand with addressing the safety concerns because they are connected.

This issue is a double-edged sword.

Disruptive students who come to school only to recruit gang members, sell drugs, or flirt are distracting to students who desperately want to learn. If they are suspended, whether in-school or not, and I have an opportunity to get through a lesson with a group of students who have been losing instructional time due to the distraction - it is a welcome respite.

However, if a student is regularly suspended and becomes entangled in the streets they likely drop out and, as their teacher, I get the sleepless nights that come with knowing a child slipped through the cracks.

Look, this is not a problem one group can solve. It takes ALL of us....teachers, parents, neighbors, police...the entire community. Yes even those of us who have no children! It will take all of us to show these kids that we do care about their lives. Only then will they wake up and realize that they have a future...because that is the reason they are behaving like this in the first place. They don't believe they have one.

No one taught them how they should behave, how they're supposed to live. No one has cared enough and they got the message loud and clear, "NOBODY GIVES A DAMN!" Most don't think they'll live past 21 so why should they respect anyone else let alone themselves? We as a community had better get it together because if we don't I can imagine it getting much, much worse!

Dr. Alonso and Dr. Sharfstein are the rare public officials who are stepping up and actually leading the public debate on violence and youth, and suggesting solutions. Isn't it curious that our elected officials, whether city council members, state legislators, or executive branch leaders, never take the lead, but are always quick to assess blame. Officials from both sides of the political aisle must come to grips with one very simple situation: school-aged children in this city need a variety of resources and a "Marshall Plan" to overcome the odds that are stacked against them: poverty, broken homes, and few opportunities.Until we ALL get serious - with a comprehensive approach involving the entire Baltimore community - these tragic stories will become the latest chapters in this sad tale.

Sara:

Thank you for having the courage to write about the problems facing the Baltimore City Schools. I liked the comments that Concerned Citizen's post made about the need for a Marshall Plan to help the kids overcome all the problems they are dealing with on a day-to day basis.

I'm a BCPSS teacher and have seen things during the course of this past year that are absolutely beyond belief. Some of the posters on this thread have made commments about students coming to school to recruit gang members, fight and socialize--this is the reality that I see on a day to day basis.

It's hard to think about being considered for "teacher of the year" when you are worried about your own safety and well being as well as that of your students.

"Dr. Alonso is pulling out all the stops to try to get the community engaged in Baltimore's schools. He's convinced that the schools can't get better until the community rallies around them."

Something about this doesn't compute. Sure, it sounds nice, but exactly what does what does it mean? Who exactly in this “community” does Alonso want to engage and what would they do? Instead of writing empty platitudes, let’s break it down:

1. You’ve got some good decent parents who are probably already pretty busy raising their kids and putting food on the table. Sure, it might be nice to have them hang around the school more, but most of them have probably got jobs and a home to take care of, and about the most they can do is make sure their own kids get their homework done, get to bed on time, etc. They don’t have a lot of time to do more. At least not most of the parents I know.

2. Then you’ve got some not-so-decent parents who are probably not working and may have time on their hands, but you wouldn’t necessarily want them hanging out at your kid’s school. (You don’t necessarily want their kids at your kid’s school either, but that’s a different story.)

3. Then you’ve got younger childless folks who are probably looking at moving out of the city when they have kids of their own. There might be a few idealistic ones among them, but most of them are probably mainly concerned about building their own careers and hooking up with members of the opposite sex.

4. Then, finally, you’ve got retirees – grandmoms and granddads – who might be happy to chip in a few hours a week at a school. No doubt these are wonderful people, but are you seriously telling me that having them around is going to fix the problems with Baltimore’s schools? What exactly are you going to ask them to do?

No, get real, you don’t need the “community” to rally around the schools. Parental engagement is fine, but what you mostly need parents to be engaged in is setting the discipline and expectations for their kids at home, and that, in Baltimore, is sadly often lacking.

What you really need is a coordinated and integrated effort among the existing social service agencies, police department, and schools to deal with this issue. You need seamless, integrated, and fast information sharing across all these agencies. We pay our taxes so that these public agencies can do this work for us. Heck, my neighbor in the fire department doesn’t expect me to tag along every time he goes out on a call. I don’t think my kid’s teacher necessarily wants me hanging around her classroom either.

One more thing, the assertion that schools can’t get better unless the community rallies around them is flat wrong. Baltimore has some excellent schools and some deplorable ones. The deplorable ones are what they are mostly because of bad management. You can fix the bad management (which is pretty obvious and glaring in most cases) without any community rally-round and presto! you’ve got better schools.

get_real, I believe you missed the point while proving it. Getting the community to "rally around" schools doesn't just mean volunteering in a school. It can mean voting, calling/writing elected officials to make sure our tax dollars are being spent wisely, writing letters to the editor, discussing the issue with friends/colleagues to help them become better-informed, active citizens, donate money to fund field trips or extracurricular activities, provide internships for students, etc.. The health and well-being of our public school system effects the community, therefore the community needs to do whatever it can to help the schools educate our children.

The 500 volunteers need to be ex-Marines....better yet.....Marine Drill Sergeants....

The solution:

1. If the child fails to get their High School Diploma/GED by the time they reach 19, put the parent in jail.
2. If the child does not attend school, stop sending social service assistance.
3. Make it mandatory that in order to receive you provisional driver’s license, you must provide a High School Diploma or GED completion certificate.
4. If you want to stop all the attacks on teachers, make jail sentences lengthier. Our judicial system is a joke. Those that offend aren’t afraid of going to jail, heck for most its better than being at home.

Concerned:

You're just so wrong. Jailing is the LAST reform needed. It's jailing in the first place (along with hundreds of other factors) that has created the predicament that we're in now. It's a wasteful way to spend money - educating a child costs about $9,400 a year on average; MD state spends $70,000 A DAY on juvenile detention. Even if you're the most conservative person out there - the economics of that decision are just simply bad. Check out the Pew report about nationwide prison systems (MD ranks 14th highest in expenditure on prisons as compared to spending on higher education - certainly not fungible expenditures but worth comparing anyways - http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/8015PCTS_Prison08_FINAL_2-1-1_FORWEB.pdf).

Get_Real:

Your assessment is proved wrong in the very fact that 500 volunteers who were not previously involved in school have now decided to volunteer in schools. Whether or not they make a difference is still a question, but loads and loads of scholarly research points to evidence that they will. If you'd like some copies of reports and independent studies, write back and I'll paste them to this forum.

Finally, I'll paste some other important reports that you can view at your leisure - let me know if you'd like more.

Dropout Costs: http://www.all4ed.org/files/HighCost.pdf
Reduction of Public Expenditure:
http://www.all4ed.org/files/SavingFutures.pdf
Overview of Nationwide problem:
http://www.civicenterprises.net/pdfs/thesilentepidemic3-06.pdf
Raising Attendance Ages:
http://www.civicenterprises.net/pdfs/raisingschoolage.pdf