Rhee must have an amazing and incredibly innovative team. Interestingly enough, AAA lost some of his talent to the District during the re-org.

Our school has a suspension room now, and it seems to be working. However, some students are thinking they can get around serving in the suspension room by being "sick"-- ah, think again.

"But both superintendents recognize that sending misbehaving students home often makes matters worse."

Wait, what?!?!

The problem at my school, which had a "suspension room", never stemmed from sending kids home. It stemmed from NOT offering any visible and unwanted consequences for misbehavior. This was made acutely obvious because my grade administrator DID provide consequences and therefore we had the best behaved grade. The administrator for another grade did not provide consequences and regularly sent kids back to a room after being written up by a teacher. Guess what, that floor was OUT of control and almost brought the whole dang school down with it!

So let's be clear - sending kids home may not be the best answer, but if other kids see that there are no consequences of note for misbehavior, they suddenly become emboldened to misbehave themselves. Therefore, DC better have a DANG good plan in place before they dilly dally with what little consequences there are left!

I worked in a school that had an in school suspension room. For a short time (less than a year I believe) it was very effective because it was staffed by two people - a counselor and a manager. The manager did more than yell at the kids - he kept records, made parent contact, got teachers to turn in assignments and followed up with teachers and kids. The counselor talked with kids about what the issues were and since some of them were there for more than 1 day, she was able to build relationships between her and the kids. It was an amazing thing to know that kids were being served and not just warehoused. Of course we lost funding for the positions and it became just another place to get rid of kids. Then we lost the good staff member and, well you can guess the rest.

What we all (teachers, parents and kids) know is that suspension doesn't work. Or I should say, if it's going to work to change kids it's going to work the first time it happens. If you suspend a kid more than once the only purpose you are serving is to make the grownups feel better.

JSchool - glad to hear yours is working and I would like to know more about the set up.

AT: I would love to know who you think we lost to DC who was "talent". Not to put to fine a point on things, but there wasn't a lot of talent here and I still worry about the pool being deep enough to pull from. It's not that people aren't smart, or caring, but more that they get the idea that the system should serve the schools, and schools the kids and not the other way around.

IO: I disagree that there wasn't a lot of talent here and even the AYP results seem to prove that. People were dedicated and committed to children long before Alonso, will continue to do so throughout (or despite) his reign, and after him. I think a huge issue is that we never reached a critical mass of talent. And we still have not reached the tipping point! He's brought in a talented few but the majority are just loud mouth, arrogant bullies who act like Kindergartners when they do not get their way. Basically, the ineffective folks far outweigh the effective ones. For every 1 person who is being deliberately purposeful and thoughful, there are 5 who are being reactive and thoughtless. The see-saw can't budge!

Obama (taking a page from a previous president's book) is rallying his opponents to his cause. Alonso tossed all his opponents out the front door and back door. I wonder what book he is reading?

What makes it effective?
(1) All teachers send work; it is expected to be done.
(2) A rather cranky, no-nonsense person in charge.
(3) Kids don't leave the room.
(4) Brown-bag lunches supplied.
(5) Absolute silence
(6) Consistency by administrators in assigning, restricting other privileges (dances, assemblies, sports) for students habitually in trouble; parent contact and follow through, etc.

This is what I'm seeing but I am only a teacher and don't see a lot of what is going on in the main office, etc.

Obama (taking a page from a previous president's book) is rallying his opponents to his cause. Alonso tossed all his opponents out the front door and back door. I wonder what book he is reading?
I wonder how personnel action involving a reduction of force from a bloated bureaucracy can be equated with political organization and bipartisanship? Faulty logic!

Anon: I agree that much teaching talent got disgusted with the lack of leadership (at the school and system levels) and left. I am not sure they all went to DC, but maybe with what is really going on here in Bmore we can start to deepen the pool. What I thought you meant was that a lot of talent left central office for DC and I am not sure that can be true since I am not sure there was a lot there to begin with. Some yes, a few very bright spots but not all of those folks get what AAA is selling - that central office is supposed to support schools and not the other way around.

And my good friend Artie: I have brought this up before - we can make a strong statement about fighting and misbehavior without doing things that we know don't work. Suspension DOESN"T fix things in even the short term. In the immediate it gets a kid out, it sends a message but 3 to 5 days later the kid is back, nothing has really changed and we end up right back where we started. I agree that doing nothing (like the other team that is described) also does nothing. So, what are schools to do when the only two words they use to react to kids don't work? Well, we can keep repeating those words for 3 - 4 years until the offending students have dropped out or moved on, although there will be plenty of kids to take their place. We could say those words more - more suspensions to send the same message of failure more often and have kids not learning more. We could say the word nothing a whole lot and give the clear message that kids aren't cared about. Hmm, all of those options suck. Wait, we are smart aren't we? Don't we all agree that fighting is wrong? That doing the right thing should be high lighted and possibly rewarded? That the language that we want to share within the school walls is respectful, not insulting and inclusive? Don't we all agree that there should be a culture in our schools where learning is important, important enough to engage kids and adults in? And can't we agree that when people break that culture, like kids who disrupt, talk out, yell, toss desks, write on the walls, fight, like teachers who show up late, unprepared, don't give meaningful feedback to students, teach in only one way, think their voice is the only one that matters, aren't interested in moving their own knowledge forward, think they are more important than anyone else in the building, that those people need to be called on their behavior? Given a strong message from the community that there are better choices, that there are things within their control that they can change as long as the begin with accepting their actions as problem causing? Don't we agree on those basic things?

And given all that we agree on, can't we come together to start creating new words to react to things? Like morning meeting? Like one-on-one meetings, like, well, I don't want to give away the answer before you finish the book. That wouldn't be any fun.

What I am saying is that we have to stop doing those things that are clearly NOT working in favor of things that might or actually do work. We have to be willing to read, talk and try before falling back to old ways. Just because we don't automatically suspend a kid who fought doesn't mean we did nothing. In fact it might be that we did a lot and that while it doesn't seem as immediate in terms of a CONSEQUENCE or PUNISHMENT, it might be more effective at building a culture where we work together.

Un doing some of the years of damage takes time and energy. And yes, Dr. Alonso, staff, good, high quality staff (where is the money and the people for this?). It also takes faith that there are better ways. At least that's what's working at my school.

Interesting Observations -

There used to be somebody named Bill who would always debate with me, but he hasn't posted lately. I'm glad I have found somebody else to debate with me so we can both strengthen our own positions.

This one is easy, actually. I agree with you that the current system doesn't work to improve a child's behavioral choices. Actually, I agree with everything you said - we need to radically change the constructs we use to build a positive culture of achievement and how we deal with behavior that can't be accepted by the community. But my main point is that we should NOT take away the only tool we currently have to at least maintain order until we have firmly established the new systems and procedures.

When I am treating patients, there are times when a certain medication isn't helping a patient get better, but it IS preventing them from getting worse. I don't stop giving the first medication...until we figure out what the better option will be and we make the switch over in a controlled fashion, constantly monitoring and ensuring a safe and effective move. And you better believe the first medication is kept close in case the new meds don't work.

Therefore my point: suspensions, while not effective with every child to improve behavior, DO work on some level to maintain order in a school building. We should maintain this "medication" until the new constructs and methods for helping a child improve their behavior to community norms are put in place. Wouldn't you agree Interesting Observations?

Artie: And now we agree 100% - I never advocated taking suspension off the menu, just to recognize that it doesn't work to fix behaviors any more than, well, than arresting people works to make people change from lives of crime. Interestingly in the sad article about the stabbing there it said, "he is under age 16, his attorney can - and likely will - ask a judge to send the case to juvenile court, where the goal is rehabilitation rather than punishment." And that's the point isn't it - some things are for punishment and some are for rehabilitation. I am looking for things in the 2nd camp. Old 60's liberal that I am:-)

BTW - Bill still posts, but I am glad to engage in dialog. Especially when, at the end, you write things like, "Actually, I agree with everything you said" :-)

Hey - when I'm right, I'm right. And when somebody else is right, I'm happy to oblige with comments like that! :) lol

In this case, I believe we can both agree with everything each other said! lol