Columnist: Stop Disciplining Black Kids In School

In a piece published in The Washington Post on Monday, Valerie Strauss laid out the case that black students should not be disciplined in schools across the nation. Strauss points to analysis which shows that black students are suspended at a higher rate than white students in traditional public schooling. Then, Strauss hands the piece off to Jamila Carter, an early childhood educator and a black mother of three, to exacerbate the point: Stop disciplining black kids in school.

At the outset, Carter concedes that, generally speaking, the black community “believes teaching our children respect for authority through strict discipline will save them from falling victim to violence, jail or being killed at the hands of the police.”

Stunningly, the mother of three essentially argues that although this may be true, it is still not “fair” or “justifiable” to be strict with black students. “Please spare me such sentiments as ‘but it works’ and ‘parents want it,’” states Carter. “Sweatshops work when the bottom line is producing goods with cheap labor for a profit, but they are hardly fair or justifiable.”

“No-excuses” discipline — an approach where discipline is valued, seen as a good, and renders consequences for even “tiny infractions” — is viewed by Carter as a hindrance to black students.

“The belief is that because of the color of our skin there is no room for mistakes, and in the real world we may not get a second chance,” said Carter. “Therefore, the training ground for this dismal reality should extend to the classroom.”

Continuing, Carter suggests that disciplining black students can often be “demeaning to students and their families.”

“…the emphasis on order and discipline, especially in urban schools where children of color are the majority, can be demeaning to students and their families.”

Jamila Carter, childhood educator

“I understand why many parents feel the need to use discipline to protect their children, but I reject this notion in the classroom,” states the teacher, adding that “the emphasis on order and discipline, especially in urban schools where children of color are the majority, can be demeaning to students and their families.”

Carter says that it’s “deplorable” to defend a “no-excuses” discipline approach to teaching, likening the practice to “animal training” “in the name of a school’s success record.”

The teacher also explains that parents in the black community who are proponents of discipline in the school system only think this way because of their bleak circumstances thrust on them by society, seemingly invoking an out-of-control law enforcement:

“Yes, some parents want it. When our history tells us that minor missteps may leave your fate in the balance and questioning authority may get you killed, who wouldn’t want it?” she asks. “When our neighborhood schools are underfunded, under resourced and subsequently shut down, and the schools that boast high rates of success through order and discipline are the only other alternative, where do we turn? When one makes a choice because they don’t have any other options, it’s actually not a choice at all — it’s desperation.”

Carter, despite intentions, is clearly overlooking the successes of charter schools in urban areas, which are known for having a strict approach to discipline.

Forbes reports that both a 2009 and 2013 study showed that “charters did better for students in poverty.” Plus, the “performance gap” in charter schools is continuously improving: “Charter school impacts with students in poverty and English language learners were positive in 2009 in both reading and math. These positive results have sustained and in fact increased in 2013.”

According to a CREDO study presented by Forbes, black students in poverty in particular strive at charter schools: “Black students in poverty who attend charter schools gain an additional 29 days of learning in reading and 36 days in math per year over their [traditional public school] counterparts… This shows the impact of charter schooling is especially beneficial for black students who in poverty.”

Carter suggests that disciplining black students is not “fair” or “justifiable.” But what’s “fair” or “justifiable” about denying a student an approach to teaching and learning, which has borne such positive results, because of the amount of melanin in their skin?

Image (via AP): Nov. 19, 2015. Students and other advocates of charter schools rally at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash.