New federal report: Racial disparities in school discipline... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

New federal report: Racial disparities in school discipline... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

New federal report: Racial disparities in school discipline begin in preschool 

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Are we treating all kids the same?

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By Maureen Downey

A consistent research finding – reinforced by a federal review released today -- is that minority students experience disproportionate school discipline starting in the preschool.

And a consistent rejoinder on this blog is that minority students are more likely to engage in behaviors that land them in trouble.

But the research challenges that assumption. Even when they commit the exact same offense as white students, black students suffer more severe consequences, according to research.

There is a growing concern among researchers over disparities in school discipline, especially suspensions which have been shown to increase the odds of students dropping out. And there is a lot of effort to make the public more aware of why schools need to rethink discpline approaches and policies.

Here is an example:

A group of 26 nationally recognized experts from the social science, education and legal fields -