Black Oakland students suspended less, but huge discrepancy remains

According to the report to the school board, the district in the last three years introduced restorative justice programs at 23 of 86 schools, started tiered behavior intervention programs in 33 schools, and started the Manhood Development program in 16 schools.

Theresa Clincy, the school district’s coordinator for attendance and discipline, said giving children the rules and having adults hold them accountable is part of the equation in solving the discipline problem, but it also includes how to handle students when they know the rules but still don’t follow them.

“If there is a problem, we have a conversation with a kid,” Clincy said. “Then if the child still cannot comply, we ask, ‘Who can I get them to talk to so that they do?’ It’s trying to get a sense of why the child is misbehaving so they can continue to be in class instead of being suspended. And these are all considered research-based approaches that have been proven.”

Clincy said she is glad to see the numbers, which she called “ridiculously high four years ago,” come down.

She said the district was able to reduce the numbers because leaders “were finally able to locate some strategies that were successful in other districts, and we were able to implement them and provide the funding to do that.”

Article Appeared @http://blackstarjournal.org/?p=4427

 

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