Or you could just call them lazy like Paul Ryan, and absolve yourself of guilt
by David Atkins
Color me shocked:
Two-fifths of the nation's public school districts offer no preschool programs, and most of those that do offer only part-day programs. Black students account for less than a fifth of those in preschool across the nation but make up almost half of the students who are suspended from preschool multiple times.
Those results from the first comprehensive survey in nearly 15 years of civil rights data from the 97,000 U.S. public schools show they remain marked by inequities. The report released Friday by the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, which includes data from the 2011-12 school year, offers no explanation for the stark differences.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr., who unveiled the report at J.O. Wilson Elementary School here, urged states and school districts to take steps to eliminate the disparities.
Duncan denounced the inequities as "socially divisive, educationally unsound, morally bankrupt and economically self-destructive." He said the report "paints a stark portrait of inequity," adding that "this must compel us to act."
The report found that black students were three times more likely to be suspended and expelled than white students.
Holder said these results confirmed that the "school-to-prison pipeline" is a reality for boys of color. "A routine school discipline infraction should land a student in the principal's office," Holder said, "not in a police precinct."
But he also said there were no plans to modify security measures in schools. "We want to support schools and make sure that we keep these schools safe," while being mindful not to contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline, he said.
In January, the Education and Justice departments unveiled new guidelines urging schools to implement alternative discipline solutions and avoid discriminatory practices.
Friday's report also highlighted racial inequities in access to education. For example, a quarter of the high schools with high percentages of black and Latino students do not offer Algebra II.
Minority students were more likely to be taught by first-year teachers, and in many districts schools with high proportions of black and Latino students paid their teachers less than schools with lower minority populations.
It's almost as if resources and good teachers are being distributed unfairly in the system, and the lack of care and attention in these schools is being made up for by sending these kids to jail. But Paul Ryan knows better, right?
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