Comments on: High school to prison pipeline powered by dropouts

By: Sarge

Sarge — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:01:44 +0000

When was the last time a doctor or a lawyer modified his approach to doing the job in accordance to the directives of the patient/client/parent? NEVER! If parents were to barge into the O.R. to advise doc on a particular procedure for junior, they would, in all probability, be escorted to the brig. Likewise the legal eagle…interfere with the proceedings and “that’ll be another coupla hundred bucks for my time”! Why is it, then, that teachers cannot educate/discipline their charges without the input of mom, dad, granny and the entire cast of “interested parties” who need to allow the education system to do what they do? Sure, when/if input is needed, by all means go for it…otherwise, parents, butt out. Your kid, in the eyes of the system, is no different than the vast sea of other kids (contrary to what the ed elite would have you believing). Once this individuality nonesense subsides and kids realize the concept of “earned status” (you are what you make of yourself, not what is your perceived birthright allows), we just might be at the starting gate of developing young folks for bright futures, not lives of mediocrity.

By: Rural Education

Rural Education — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:47:55 +0000

The system I teach keeps no one in the 8th grade, even if they fail every section of the CRCT. So they come to high school with a much diminished chance of success. Why do they pass them along, because they are afraid to enforce the current law. The child’s self esteem may suffer.

By: Drew (ISS)

Drew (ISS) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:07:55 +0000

I’m sure that if you check the level that most prisoners read, You wil find a pattern. “Reading is Fundmamental” in the development of young students.

By: M

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:21:44 +0000

Is anyone doing a study on how many dropouts might have a physical problem, such as ADHD, fetal alcohol syndrome, or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (2nd trimester maternal drinking)? ADHD is vastly overdiagnosed but at the same time, real, and visible on brain scans. At present, there is no physical test for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders although Canadian researchers are working on it.
Both the students and schools would be better served by having a voucher system for medical care when students begin showing problems. These medical-diagnosis vouchers could only be used for diagnoses, evaluations, and out-of-school care; if they are left within the school budget, they will not be used for special-needs students–that’s just the way it goes.

By: Concerned in Gwinnett

Concerned in Gwinnett — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:46:13 +0000

PBIS is designed to be implemented school wide and not specially picked classes. However, speaking of “special” classes… both the in-school and out-of-school suspension rates tripled in one year for students with disabilities according to the 2008-2009 Gwinnett Discipline Report… looks like they ARE working the discipline numbers. Perhaps I’m the only one to find that alarming. PBIS alone may not be the magic bullet but it’s a start in the right direction.

PBIS has been implemented in areas with some of the worst drop out rates in the nation such as Jefferson Parish in Louisiana.
“SPLC Releases Blueprint to Reduce Student, Teacher Dropouts in Louisiana”
http://www.splcenter.org/news/item.jsp?aid=377

PBIS was also implemented in North Carolina…
“Lee County Dropout Rate Continues to Decline
Rate Falls to Lowest in Ten Years, District Recognized by State Board”
http://www.sanford-nc.com/news_1.cfm?id=28

By: V for Vendetta

V for Vendetta — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:56:55 +0000

Concerned in Gwinnett,

You’re mistaken. The biggest predictor of academic success might be “receiving instruction,” but not in the matter you think. One of the biggest predictors of academic success is a child’s educational development prior to age five. Once a child enters kindergarten intellectually behind his or her peers, it is almost impossible for him or her to catch up. The reason is obvious: Although the student might be receiving adequate instruction at school, he is floating adrift at home. There is no reinforcement of learned material, no motivation, and no support. A student almost never develops any sort of intrinsic motivation on his own (though some are more naturally motivated than others).

The school to prison pipeline is narrow-minded garbage because it fails to place the true blame where it is deserved–on the parents. It also asserts that schools can somehow overcome a child’s depraved homelife. In essence, it is altruistic in its intention, placing the burden on others and expecting them to solve the problem. As long as the wealth of the producers is redistributed to the moochers based on the number of children they have, as long as the government takes care of people who do nothing and bails them out of their own asinine financial mistakes, as long the blame for failure is levied upon those who succeed, there will never be an end to problems like this.

By: Maureen's accountability metric

Maureen's accountability metric — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:05:41 +0000

The one thing I would caution about programs that have been “proven to reduce discipline referrals” is that that is not necessarily the same thing as having been proven to improve behavior.

There have been plenty of programs that have come down the pike where referrals have been strongly discouraged if not completely swept under the rug, in order to “prove” the program is working.

Of course if these programs were really working then wouldn’t come-then go-but that’s what happens when it turns out only thing “working” in many of these programs is that the discipline numbers are being worked.

By: » High school to prison pipeline powered by dropouts | Get Schooled | GED Diploma Online

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:17:01 +0000

[...] story here Maureen Downey Student Lending Analytics Blog: Point/Counterpoint: Are Changes [...]

By: catlady

catlady — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:12:48 +0000

Concerned in Gwinnett: my system (about 4000 students) virtually NEVER suspends students. So why are we near the bottom in graduation rate? In part, because we virtually never suspend unruly students, and the marginal kids get tired of it, and, lacking family support, drop out of the bad situation. Nobody is for wholesale expulsions, but around here if you get put out of school it is for major criminal activity.

Removal from school of chronically disruptive students does reduce the amount of time that student is exposed to instruction, but INCREASES EXPONENTIALLY the amount of time the other 30+ in the class get.

And I maintain the kids who are chronic behavior problems in 3rd grade will continue to their mayhem all the way through school, visiting it upon each group of students unlucky enough to have the disruptive as a “classmate.”

BTW, let’s see that PBIS put into action by these “experts” in real schools. I am sure the readers of this blog can suggest some. No specially picked classes, no fanfare. Let the rubber meet the road.

By: Concerned in Gwinnett

Concerned in Gwinnett — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:18:16 +0000

It is cheaper to educate than incarcerate. Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (www.pbis.org) is one suggestion and has been proven to reduce discipline referrals. Kudos to the Gwinnett HS teacher. Children do not choose their parents and often teachers have no idea what is going on at home. I agree with Science Teacher and that those in the prison system do have much lower literacy skills. If Georgians continue to be unconcerned about the low graduation and high incarceration rates, how will we ever improve or find solutions? How do you stop the cycle?

“Removal from school reduces the amount of time students spend receiving instruction, which has been shown to be the strongest predictor of school achievement, and leaves children at home or on the streets, which increases their risk for contact with the juvenile justice system. Equally important, studies by the American Psychological Association and others failed to find any evidence that the use of zero tolerance, suspensions and expulsions leads to improvements in student behavior or school climate.”
http://www.dignityinschools.org/files/DSC_ARRA_Letter_EDSecretary.pdf.