The topic of zero-tolerance policies is a sensitive subject to talk about, yet Olayinka Alege and his professor, J. Howard Johnston, proved their leadership initiative by talking clearly and openly about this matter. When you read this piece of writing, you will learn about the real facts and figures which led the writers to speak clearly about this subject. They bravely dealt with the central issues throughout the article and concluded in a positive manner with a mind-opening suggestion to tackle the question of equity disciplinary practices.
They started with research done in 2014, which discovered a hidden truth about racial treatment among many U.S. schools’ staff members. They researched various schools and found that Hispanic and dark-skinned high school students were more exposed to harsh and rigorous treatment at school. This treatment from school teachers and coaches affected the productivity of these students in school. The targeted students were getting expelled from schools and being subjected to other forms of punishment (e.g. suspensions) which would often lead to their futures being cut short and terminating in a devastating dead end situation.
Other studies had already been conducted on the same topic when they did their research. The facts discovered revealed some bitter realities about the discriminatory treatment in U.S. schools. Further studies indicated that male students were more likely to get suspended and receive harsher punishment from teachers than would female students. Another shocking truth that came to the surface was that overwhelmingly dark-skinned male and female students were the targets of such harsh treatment. Quite often, no white-skinned students were affected by such discriminatory behavior on the part of school administrators, teachers, and other staff members. It was the epitome of gender discrimination and racism, both at the same time.
The mindset of school administration and staff was the key culprit behind this discriminatory behavior on school premises. The exclusionary practices showed a great growth rate in terms of suspensions from school, which was a type of mental torture. Other such punishments led to devastating prospects regarding the futures of many students.
The best thing these authors did was to propose a solution regarding tackling equity in disciplinary practices. They said that shifting the focus from a deficit-based perspective to a developmental and academic approach is the only way to make today’s educational system fair and unbiased. Doing this will thwart prejudicial practices and also actually improve discipline, achievement, and performance levels of all students at school. If we really want to enhance the school environment and make it conducive for student growth, then we are more likely to progress in a modern world environment!
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