What to make of Baltimore County's rising suspensions?
As reported by my colleague Liz Bowie: Baltimore County reported the highest suspension rate of any Maryland district apart from the Eastern Shore in the last school year, despite its efforts to focus on discipline that doesn't require students to miss classroom time.
About 10,000 students were suspended — or about one in every 10 — a rate that exceeds Baltimore City, where suspensions have been significantly reduced under CEO Andrés Alonso. The county is also noting disproportionate numbers of African American and special education students, which experts said county officials said was incredibly problematic.
Note: However, after years of declines the city school system's suspension rates rose last year as a result of an uptick of attacks on students and teachers, as well as insubordination. There's also been a debate about the crackdown on suspensions in the city, as teachers say that students and sometimes even parents have been rather opportunistic in using the the policy against educators.
As Liz's story pointed out: "The issue has prompted fierce debate — among education advocates and at school board meetings. Proponents defend suspensions as a time-honored and effective punishment, while opponents point to recent research showing that suspended students are at higher risk for dropping out, repeating a grade and entering the criminal justice system."
So, what do you make of the county's suspension trends? Is the county heading down a road that requires the same uproar that the city endured years ago?
FYI--The rest of the state shook out like this:
Across the state, 6.8 percent of students were suspended last school year, according to data released this month by the Maryland State Department of Education. The rates ranged from a low of 2.6 percent in Montgomery County to a high of 14 percent in Dorchester County. Baltimore City's suspensions rose this past year from 8.4 percent to 9.1 percent. Harford County was at 6.6 percent, Howard at 3.3 percent and Anne Arundel at 8.2 percent.
Baltimoresun.com's 
Comments
Keep in mind - reduced suspensions does not mean reduced behavioral problems - it means increased tolerance of disruptive behavior that contributes to school chaos, disruption as well as unsafe conditions for teachers and those students who choose to follow school rules and policies. As for disproportionate numbers, its a fact - African American students commit a disproportionate number of offenses. In the past, this probably was a case of racial bias and a lack of understanding of the African American culture. This simply is no longer the case and we need to get past the excuse and get to the root causes. Hip hop culture promotes the idea that individuals must challenge authority. Single parents are overwhelmed with the challenge of raising kids on their own - its a fact, a strong male and female influence in the home is the most effective tool for teaching kids how to behave. The same system that can't figure out why kids misbehave promotes the idea that the only pathway to success is a college education. This sets of many kids for failure and frustration that leads to misbehavior in school. We need to develop innovative and engaging programs that will motivate kids to work with their hands and minds and prepare them for jobs that pay well and will always be in demand (plumbers, electricians, computer techs ...etc). Instead, we force everyone to siit passively, listen for extended periods of time, and comply even though there is no obvious connection between the work they are doing and any personal future need or interest. If you want to reduce the behaviors that lead to suspension do the following:
1. Increase vocational education programs starting in middle school
2. Increase "true" alternative schools where kids that need shorter days, increased structure and support get it every day.
3. Increase school to work programs where kids see a clear connection between the work they are doing and a paycheck.
4. Eliminate the obvious influence of higher education and the College Board - they are making millions at the expense of our kids
5. Increase home and distance learning opportunities through virtual learning so kids that simply can't manage themselves in school don't infringe upon the rights of the other kids.
Posted by: realteacher | December 28, 2011 3:08 PM
"...opponents point to recent research showing that suspended students are at higher risk for dropping out, repeating a grade and entering the criminal justice system."
Correlation does not prove causation. Are they dropping out BECAUSE they were suspended? I doubt it. Are there other factors that contribute to dropping out that also contribute to more suspensions? Of course.
Posted by: Steph | January 3, 2012 9:54 AM
@Steph
Some research actually DOES show causation and not just correlation. A quick Google search finds this link here: http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol4/423-hrevnack.aspx which refers to two academic papers that cite the negative effects of suspensions: From at-risk to academic excellence: What successful leaders do (Schargel, Thacker, & Bell, 2007) and School suspension: A survey of policies and practices (Costenbader & Markson, 1994). I haven't read either of these, but the abstracts of each seems to say that suspending students may have unintended detrimental effects.
Maybe other people out there have reviewed other research that shows something similar?
Posted by: Simon | January 3, 2012 3:40 PM