B-Man Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Obama’s war on standards comes to a school near you FTA: The guidance is couched as an attempt (1) to introduce rationality and uniformity into school disciplinary practices which, allegedly, are unfairly causing students to miss too much class time and (2) to address racial disparities in the meting out of discipline. The first goal is phony. The federal government doesn’t know as much about how discipline should be handled at this or that school or school district as the people in charge at the local level. And because the people who run the school or the school district (unlike federal officials) must answer to the parents of the students, there is little danger that they will apply irrational, harmful disciplinary policies. The federal government, as officious as it is under President Obama, would never contemplate becoming involved in school discipline if it were not for the racial disparities it produces. But this turns out to be phony too. As I observed here, relying on the work of James Scanlan, relaxing disciplinary standards is not likely to reduce racial disparities in suspension rates; rather it likely will increase them. Why? Because lowering cutoffs — be it on a test score or some other selection device — tends to reduce relative differences in “success” rates, but also tends to increase relative differences in “failure” rates. Suspension from school represents failure. {snip} The only possible justification for Obama’s interference in school disciplinary practices would be the proven existence of widespread racial discrimination in discipline decision-making. That proof does not exist. Certainly, it cannot be found where Team Obama looks for it — in statistics showing racial disparities. As I wrote: No basis exists for inferring victim status from racial disparities in school suspension rates. For one thing, much of the discipline in question is meted out by black teachers and administrators. Surely, they are not basing their decisions on race. In any event, there is nothing unnatural about the disparities. One would expect a disproportionate amount of disciplinary problems from students raised in homes without a father, homes in which a parent is absent due to incarceration, homes in which one or more parent is addicted to drugs, or homes in which the mother is extremely young. Some, if not all, of these phenomena prevail disproportionately in black homes. The federal guidelines on discipline are the latest, and probably the most perverse, effort in a campaign to bulldoze standards that stand in the way of equal distribution of society’s benefits and prizes to blacks. But a nation, like an individual, will be only as virtuous and successful as its ability to set and attain high standards of conduct and achievement. To be sure, standards are not set in stone; there may be good cause to change or even discard some of them. But the inability of a particular group to meet a standard to the same degree as another group does not constitute good cause. http://www.powerline...ol-near-you.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 More on the subject. I wonder if there is any correlation between suspensions and bad acts? No way. DofE and the entire school system are racists! Wait, the left controls all the schools no? Especially in the inner city. Speaking of that, how's this going to work in schools where there is no whitey present? Where in our Constitution is the federal govenment granted anything to do with our schools? Get rid of the Department of Education and along with it deep six the Department of Energy. I think Reagan tried to and wasn't successful. Getting one of the Republican establishment to even try would be a real long shot. Can dream though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keukasmallies Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Gee, what a swell idea! Let's build an entire collection of politically correct responses to the transgressions of America's school children. Then let's put the infraction/response table in the student handbook; then let's have both kids and parents sign a statement of understanding and commitment; then let's have the school districts exchange attorneys' names with all the parents; then let's agree on a hearing process wherein the school and the parent can bargain the child's punishment; then let's.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdnlng Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Gee, what a swell idea! Let's build an entire collection of politically correct responses to the transgressions of America's school children. Then let's put the infraction/response table in the student handbook; then let's have both kids and parents sign a statement of understanding and commitment; then let's have the school districts exchange attorneys' names with all the parents; then let's agree on a hearing process wherein the school and the parent can bargain the child's punishment; then let's.... Bring back the paddle hanging in the Principle's office. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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