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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 11, 2005)
Page A4 May 11.2005 Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views o f The Portland Observer O pinion Too Many Suspensions, Expulsions for Black Students Unfair school discipline to minorities V anessa R. G aston U rban L eague oe P ortland by PRESIDENT AND CEO When people talk about elimi nating the achievement gap, they tend to focus on one area— aca demic achievement— which is usu ally defined as getting students to pass standardized tests. I hear little conversation about how students of color, especially African Ameri cans, are disproportionately drop ping out of school or being forced out of school through repeat sus pensions or expulsion. If we are to succeed in eliminat ing the achievement gap, we must address this issue. Not only is the current educational system failing to teach students of color and low- Not only is the current educational system failing to teach students o f color and low-income students, but it also is unfairly punishing them and pushing them out of the system. income students, but it also is un fairly punishing them and pushing them out of the system. In February 2005, the Juvenile Rights Project completed a 3-year study on the overrepresentation of children o f color in school disci pline incidents. It found thatthe Oregon Department of Education and most school districts have not consistently tracked suspensions and expulsions by race. However, Portland Public Schools has col lected this information. Findings from the study indicate that during the 2002-03 school year, PPS enrolled 52,969 students and had 2,324 major disciplinary refer rals resulting in suspension or ex pulsion. While Caucasian students represented 60.3 percent of enrolled students, they made up 38.4 per cent of the major disciplinary refer rals. African Americans represented only 16.5 percent of enrolled stu dents, but accounted for 43.5 per cent of all major disciplinary refer rals. During that same year, 8.1 percent of African Americans stu dents were suspended or expelled compared to only 2.24 percent of Caucasian students. Research studies find no evi dence that African Americans mis behave at a significantly higher rate than other children, yet they are much more likely to be punished. Why is this the case? JR P’s report indicates that children o f color are punished more severely than oth ers due to cultural differences and lack of training and resources for teachers. The report emphasizes what most of us already know— that children o f color and low-in come children are often taught by less experienced teachers (usually Caucasian) in overcrowded class rooms with outdated books and inadequate supplies. Lack of pa rental involvement among minori ties is another factor, as these par ents often have overburdened lives and failed experiences with the school system. According to the JRP study, African American students feel that teachers and principals are deliber ately targeting them, while Cauca sian teachers and students believe the treatment is objective. This finding suggests that racial biases (conscious or unconscious) per meate the school environment. A high school principal recently told me that if a child cannot read by the third grade, he will begin acting out in class because he does not understand the lesson. Many times, teachers misinterpret that frustra tion as a behavioral issue rather than a learning difficulty, and chil dren are punished instead of helped. The disproportionate num ber o f disciplinary referrals among students of color is alarming when one considers the im pact on stu- continued on page AS Double Standard Black leaders face biased scrutiny by J udge G reg M athis It’s not enough that most black political leaders have to fight their way to the top, overcoming all sorts of political and social racism -fro m both the general population and colleagues. Once there, they are expected to walk a rigid line or risk having their every misstep publ icly criticized. TIME magazine recently named Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley one of the “5 Best Big City May ors." The weekly cited the rejuve nation of C hicago’s downtown area, ex p a n d in g g reen space throughout the city and a declining murder rate when explaining why Daley made the cut. In the very same issue, Kwame Kilpatrick of Detroit and John Street tu rn in g aro u n d the c ity ’s 165 ‘favored’ trucking Philadelphia’s low-in- firm s have paid Daley and his come communities. But brothersince 1996. The magazine that apparently didn’t does state that corruption has factor i nto the editor’s “caught up w ith” D aley’s allies, but that he him self has “avoided decision making. This is not to say im plication.” If M ayor Street can th a t b la c k le a d e rs be negatively judged for his ‘ shouldn’t be held to corrupt’ friends, why can ’t Mayor high standards. Quite D aley? This separate set o f standards tion boom, m ajor road and tran s the contrary - all public officials p o rta tio n im p ro v e m e n ts and - both black and w hite - should plays out on an international level riverfront overhaul, all initiatives be held accountable for their ac as well. Kofi Annan, the U nited begun during K ilpatrick’s tenure. tions. This isn ’t alw ays the case. Nations’ first black Secretary G en T IM E ’S article m akes no m en eral, has been heavily scrutinized Mayor Street was singled out for having what TIME calls “corrupt” tion o f D aley’s scandal-plagued for his role in the U N ’s oil-for- friends, despite there being no evi H ired Truck Program that has, so food program , when evidence dence that Street has been involved far, resulted in over a dozen in show s that the bulk o f the illicit in any wrong doing. The magazine d ictm en ts and has dom inated funds received by Sadam Hussein goes on to state that Street has C hicago headlines. The editors came from back-alley dealings led made ‘considerable’ progress in also chose to ignore the funds by the U.S. and Britain. It rem ains Blacks have always had to 'do better ’ to succeed - get better grades, work longer hours, do more in less time. o f Philadelphia, both African- Americans, were named two of the worst big city mayors. TIM E called K ilpatrick to the carpet for using city funds to lease a vehicle when city jobs and 24- hour bus service were elim inated in an attem pt to manage the city ’s $230 million budget deficit. TIME d o esn ’t discuss D etro it's resi dential and com m ercial construc to be seen if the real culprits will be brought to task. Blacks have always had to ‘do better’ to succeed - get better grades, work longer hours, do more in less time. As a people, we have come to accept this as a byproduct o f living in a society where we are not treated equally. W hat we should not accept is this double standard where white politicians walk under a positive spotlight, regardless of whether or not it is deserved, and black leaders are constantly thrust under this ‘interrogation’ lamp. Judge Greg Mathis is chairman o f the Rainbow PUSH-Excel Board and a national board member o f the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.