In Chicago, elementary schools and high schools are suspending and expelling students at alarming rates and African American male students are bearing the brunt of these punishments. A Catalyst Chicago analysis reveals that out-of-school suspensions in Chicago outpaced those in the 10 biggest school districts in the nation.
Today, Catalyst launches the series, Reaching Black Boys, that will investigate how black male academic achievement is stunted by disproportionate and often unnecessary disciplinary measures. The series will also explore the complex relationships between African American male students and the teachers, principals and institutions that are charged with educating them.
In Chicago, elementary schools and high schools are suspending and expelling students at alarming rates and African American male students are bearing the brunt of these punishments. A Catalyst Chicago analysis reveals that out-of-school suspensions in Chicago outpaced those in the 10 biggest school districts in the nation.
Today, Catalyst launches the series, Reaching Black Boys, that will investigate how black male academic achievement is stunted by disproportionate and often unnecessary disciplinary measures. The series will also explore the complex relationships between African American male students and the teachers, principals and institutions that are charged with educating them.
Catalyst decided to tackle this issue because black male students in Chicago Public Schools lag behind their peers academically in every grade, have the highest dropout rate (54 percent) and fewer than half of those who graduate go on to college.
Research shows that a student who is suspended just once is three times more likely to dropout than those who aren’t suspended. Yet, disproportionate suspensions and expulsions of black boys flies under the radar while CPS invests unprecedented resources into raising graduation rates.
Advocates are aghast at the figures and wonder if they may warrant an investigation or a lawsuit. An official say the U.S. Department of Education is “concerned” any time there is a disparity. Secretary Arne Duncan was aware of discipline disparity problem when he was CEO and tried to fix it. That effort has yet to take hold.
Later this week, look for the next installment of this series to address the scarcity of black male teachers and mentors. Experts say having teachers who look like their students and can relate to them is important for educational success. Yet, one in four students are black boys, but only 6 percent of Chicago’s teachers are black males.
Continue reading Catalyst’s analysis: “Black male conundrum”