2. The topic of zero-tolerance policies is a sensitive subject to
talk about, yet Olayinka Alege and his professor, J.
Howard Johnston, proved their leadership initiative by
talking clearly and openly about this matter. When you
read this piece of writing, you will learn about the real facts
and figures which led the writers to speak clearly about this
subject. They bravely dealt with the central issues
throughout the article and concluded in a positive manner
with a mind-opening suggestion to tackle the question of
equity disciplinary practices.
3. They started with research done in 2014, which discovered
a hidden truth about racial treatment among many U.S.
schools’ staff members. They researched various schools
and found that Hispanic and dark-skinned high school
students were more exposed to harsh and rigorous
treatment at school. This treatment from school teachers
and coaches affected the productivity of these students in
school. The targeted students were getting expelled from
schools and being subjected to other forms of punishment
(e.g. suspensions) which would often lead to their futures
being cut short and terminating in a devastating dead end
situation.
4. Other studies had already been conducted on the same
topic when they did their research. The facts discovered
revealed some bitter realities about the discriminatory
treatment in U.S. schools. Further studies indicated that
male students were more likely to get suspended and
receive harsher punishment from teachers than would
female students. Another shocking truth that came to the
surface was that overwhelmingly dark-skinned male and
female students were the targets of such harsh treatment.
Quite often, no white-skinned students were affected by
such discriminatory behavior on the part of school
administrators, teachers, and other staff members. It was
the epitome of gender discrimination and racism, both at
the same time.
5. The mindset of school administration and staff
was the key culprit behind this discriminatory
behavior on school premises. The exclusionary
practices showed a great growth rate in terms of
suspensions from school, which was a type of
mental torture. Other such punishments led to
devastating prospects regarding the futures of
many students.
6. The best thing these authors did was to propose a
solution regarding tackling equity in disciplinary
practices. They said that shifting the focus from a
deficit-based perspective to a developmental and
academic approach is the only way to make
today’s educational system fair and unbiased.
Doing this will thwart prejudicial practices and also
actually improve discipline, achievement, and
performance levels of all students at school. If we
really want to enhance the school environment
and make it conducive for student growth, then we
are more likely to progress in a modern world
environment!
