Does suspending students make a bad situation worse?

Friday, January 15, 2010

Schools banish kids often and self-righteously. Generally, educators and the public believe that suspensions and even expulsions are sound, necessary practices. In the 2006-07 (latest data available) America’s schools handed out 3.2 million suspensions. Over 5,000 of those incidents were for skipping detention.  Nationally, nearly a third of our students drop out before graduating from high school each year. And most drop-outs have been suspended repeatedly.

 

So what lessons do these kids learn during suspension? Are they being coached or advised about their behavior during suspension? Are they working special projects? Many suspended kids say “no” that “they’re learning what’s on TV. How does suspension really help our students grow and learn from their mistakes?

 

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