Hi Tom - Nice work. This is a really important piece for people to pay attention to. The District's performance in this regard give proof to the adage, "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is." I don't doubt that the District has poured more resources and is justifiably having more success in controlling the chaos the enveloped …
Nice work. This is a really important piece for people to pay attention to.
The District's performance in this regard give proof to the adage, "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is." I don't doubt that the District has poured more resources and is justifiably having more success in controlling the chaos the enveloped multiple District buildings last year .... but a 98.5% reduction??? For a District that is not shy about applying for awards, this kind of outcome would justifiably deserve to be a national model .... if it could withstand serious scrutiny, which I doubt is the case.
This is an area where I really find the Board's lack of willingness to ask tough questions of the Admin troubling. When Elijah Palmer gave his presentation on school suspensions at the end of last year, no one asked if there were unwarranted suspensions - if there, that is a problem with the adults managing the system. If not, then there are other issues which needed to be addressed. Instead, there was a pledge by Board President and current candidate for re-election to "turn things around next year," which brings us to where we are now, where we have a victory over bad stats, but a less-than-convincing over bad behavior.
Our kids deserve to be in an orderly classroom and a school environment where they are safe from violence and bullying. Our teachers deserve to work in an environment where their authority to control their classrooms is respected. If that cuts into the shiny numbers that the District wants to present, then so be it.
1) It should be noted that Mr. Palmer goes back with Dr. Horton. They worked together at Wendell Phillips Academy in CPS/AUSL in 2011-12 or so. He’s likely also working to improve his resume with these numbers.
2) I think it’s important to point out that this isn’t a racial or political issue. It’s not like we’ve stopped suspending black kids only. We’ve stopped suspending ALL disruptive kids. Having disruptive kids in the classroom impacts all kids equally, regardless of race or background. It’s the hardworking kids of all backgrounds that are suffering right now!
Hi Tom -
Nice work. This is a really important piece for people to pay attention to.
The District's performance in this regard give proof to the adage, "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is." I don't doubt that the District has poured more resources and is justifiably having more success in controlling the chaos the enveloped multiple District buildings last year .... but a 98.5% reduction??? For a District that is not shy about applying for awards, this kind of outcome would justifiably deserve to be a national model .... if it could withstand serious scrutiny, which I doubt is the case.
This is an area where I really find the Board's lack of willingness to ask tough questions of the Admin troubling. When Elijah Palmer gave his presentation on school suspensions at the end of last year, no one asked if there were unwarranted suspensions - if there, that is a problem with the adults managing the system. If not, then there are other issues which needed to be addressed. Instead, there was a pledge by Board President and current candidate for re-election to "turn things around next year," which brings us to where we are now, where we have a victory over bad stats, but a less-than-convincing over bad behavior.
Our kids deserve to be in an orderly classroom and a school environment where they are safe from violence and bullying. Our teachers deserve to work in an environment where their authority to control their classrooms is respected. If that cuts into the shiny numbers that the District wants to present, then so be it.
1) It should be noted that Mr. Palmer goes back with Dr. Horton. They worked together at Wendell Phillips Academy in CPS/AUSL in 2011-12 or so. He’s likely also working to improve his resume with these numbers.
2) I think it’s important to point out that this isn’t a racial or political issue. It’s not like we’ve stopped suspending black kids only. We’ve stopped suspending ALL disruptive kids. Having disruptive kids in the classroom impacts all kids equally, regardless of race or background. It’s the hardworking kids of all backgrounds that are suffering right now!
This is a wildly inappropriate comment and I do not want this kind of discourse on my substack. Either you leave or I'm going to ban you.