Class Context is a forum for teachers to explore the historical, political and economic realities inside and out of American public education. These "serious" topics will complement the inevitable anecdotals of the pedagogical experience. Although the views expressed here emerge from within this vast institution, they represent the opinons only of the individual contributors.
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Wednesday, March 15, 2006 |
I'd like to make this perfectly clear: I have no opinion on what the question I'm about to ask. I really don't know what to think about this, but I believe it's a very important question.
Should all public schools have greater power to expel students? One major difference between private and public private schools has nothing to do with resources, or social class, or faculty quality, but concerns how each deals with troublesome or disruptive students. Private schools can simply remove those students.
Educators, think over your classes. How much easier would each of them be if you did not have the two or three most disruptive students? Even the single most disruptive student? How much more time would you have to teach the rest of your class? Is the belief that we need to reach every single student worth the cost to invested and interested students that each of these disruptive students requires?
Now, think about your administrators, support staff, and other teachers. How would they use the power to expel students? Would they simply get rid of anyone who showed the least inclination towards misdirected energy? Would they try to expel low test-score kids to make the school look better?
Finally, would it be more efficient to have schools developed entirely for those students who have trouble with the behavioral expectations of mainstream schools? Would this actually help students, or would it simply trap them in "alternative" schools that provide little more than temporary holding facilities?
All opinions are welcome...
Posted at 08:10 pm by Tiberius Gracchus
 | | | Name
March 15, 2006 10:26 PM PST
Re: alternative schools for chronic behavior problems...
I teach a special ed class for "behavioral disabilities." The main point of it is to get students out of regular ed classes. Like any quarantine system, it stops the malady from spreading to the general population...but those on the inside are screwed.
If you want to have special schools, I'd imagine the result would be similar. It would alleviate some behavior problems in "normal" schools, but would only serve to reinforce them at the "alternative" ones. Unless, of course, the alternative ones were run according to some different system that could reliably change behavior problems... | |
| | | Miss M.
March 17, 2006 02:57 PM PST
I'd worry that some teachers would abuse the authority to expel students. I don't think kids should be expelled unless they are deemed dangerous.
What we do need, however, is a better system to refer kids for special ed evaluations, for both academic and behavioral issues. | |
| | | Chaz
March 19, 2006 06:06 PM PST
I believe that if there were alternative schools for cronic misbehaving students, then the other students will see the consequences of their actions.
Further, a student does not misbehave in only one class and these are the students that disrupt the classroom and reduce learning for all. As for teachers abusing their authority, you remove the student from that teacher's class if it is an issue between that teacher and student. if too many students are removed who don't act up in other classes, then the teacher should be reprimanded and fired, if necssary. | |
| | | Lysander
March 21, 2006 03:00 PM PST
Much like we differentiate instruction, why should we not differentiate our schools? One could argue this eliminate the educational fruits off "diversity." In reality, the frequently praised diversity has little empirical support one way or the other. My inclination is to marginalize it to--at best--an incidental benefit.
That is my tendency; it need not be others'.
Tiberius, remember at Institute when we talked in those CM groups about how student failure is a product of insufficient differentiation. It may be the case that those few students the caue the majority of in-class disruption have not been sufficiently accounted for in OUR approach to teaching. Perhaps this degree of differentiation is de facto impossible given the range of student needs we are held responsible to meet.
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| | | A Florida Teacher
April 5, 2006 06:20 PM PDT
You're asking a very important question, but here is what I wonder: Why can't we come up with more options for different types of educational environments for kids who really need it? Here's an example of what I mean: let's say you have a student who's not eligible for a special ed class, but the student is already several years behind his peers. Would it help this student to have an online school within a traditional bricks and mortar school? So that this older student can perhaps catch up in school, working in the dignity of his own pace and a computer, with perhaps some guidance from a teacher for hands on projects and other matters? I wrote an article recently that perhaps you should read, as appropriate alternative placement settings are actually required by my local and state laws for all students retained two or more years. But such programs didn't exist, as I found out.
My article is linked to my name on this post. I wrote this article to urge parents and teachers to find out -- for themselves -- what is actually required by their own local and state pupil progression laws. Because no one else is going to tell you, as I learned. And, learned the hard way! | |
| | | eduturca
August 17, 2007 08:37 AM PDT
I'd worry that some teachers would abuse the authority to expel students. I don't think kids should be expelled unless they are deemed dangerous. | |
| | | immenah
December 3, 2008 10:11 PM PST
To expel students or not expel students? That is the question. Granted, educators job would be easier by investing more time in teaching, less time re-focusing the class after unnecessary disruptions. However, choosing who I teach and not teaching is not be upholding the values of this profession. We may not reach out to every student nonetheless, I would be short-changing the profession by believing that I can. Realistically, the majority may agree that pursuing a career in education is not to be successful with every student in our classroom instead it is believing that profession as an educator produces civil, educated, trained, and thinkers in society. By choosing to expel those few students who disrupt our lesson plan, then we would be doing a disservice to them and to our society. If public schools are obligated to provide every child with an education, by expelling students public schools would be reinforcing the same policies as private schools and not fulfilling our societal obligation as promised. In regards to “alternative” schools, we are setting up the students to fail only within of time.
As educators we are taught and trained the obstacles we will be challenged in our classrooms. How can we expect to successfully challenge our students when we dispel the challenges we face from our students? Expelling students from our school is simply giving up on them. Not all educators teach in the suburbs and have finely furnished classroom equipments. Likewise, students come from different social economic backround and face daily challenges, some which are exerted in our classrooms. Perhaps, if we did not have the pressure we experience as educators, such as lack of support in our schools, equipment, and resources we may, just might, be able to see that these students are crying out for our help.
Unfortunately, especially in our recent economic recession, there are extreme financially losses that affect our educational system. In addition to schools attaining less financial support and the policies of No Child Left Behind, administrators may be more encouraged to expel those students who giving school lower scores. Lower scores means less finances invested into the school. Therefore, expelling those students, re-locating them in another school where it will later be there problem, just may be one way of fixing the problem. Well, that is if administrators are primarily focused on the administration component as oppose to the ethical responsibility we have in the profession. The real question we must ask ourselves why did we choose this profession? Do we really value our responsibility we have to our students? Schools, administrators, and educators are greatly affected by the policies and regulation put forth, however, our students experience the greatest loss in their education.
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