How exactly does Baltimore City lower its suspension rates?

In this week’s Education Week, an article about the suspension rates in Baltimore appeared. The article claims that there are some 9,266 students put on out-of-school suspension at least once last year…this begs the question – what did they do to be suspended? I ask this because, as a teacher in the city, I am often confronted with the harsh reality that students cannot be suspended because out discipline rates are too high. The article claims that students are suspended from our schools for infractions like cell phones, disrespect, tardiness, class cutting, and insubordination…HUH? What about the students who are bringing weapons and drugs to school? I apologize to anyone teaching in Mecca, The Land of OZ, or Shangri-La…but I just don’t see students being suspended because of cell phones and tardiness like I used to…The students who are being suspended SHOULD BE OUT OF SCHOOL, and moreover, they should be out longer.

The article praises Baltimore elementary schools for their innovative physical exercise programs that have been implemented after lunch where students play games and run around outside (but they are not recess, they are behavior management). Now…I am all for reaching out and trying alternate discipline for students who need it, but the fact remains that students who bring weapons and drugs to school shouldn’t be there…students who attack and threaten others shouldn’t be there…

The article mentions the fact that most of the students being suspended from Baltimore City schools are poor and students of color…which makes sense. The article also supposes that as Baltimore’s students are from these categories, they are almost always behind their white affluent counterparts (also makes sense). The article then states that the Zero Tolerance Policy (which has been in place since ’99 and is responsible for our outrageous suspension rates) keeps these students out of school, and therefore out of class. No students from poor, challenged backgrounds should be suspended, RIGHT? Well…If nearly all of our students are poor and students of color, there will have to be a lot of wishing on moonbeams and four leaf clovers in Baltimore, because I don’t see the problem going away anytime soon…

check out the article at http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/04/25/34balt.h26.html