School Director

1. TACKLING EQUITY IN DISCIPLINARY
PRACTICES

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!