Black Suspensions Mushroming EKU Prof Says

Concerns Raised in

Fayette and Jefferson Counties

Fayette County suspends African-American students at a rate higher than the statewide average.

A complaint filed against the Jefferson County school in May, asks the U.S. Department of Education to intervene.

This from the Herald-Leader:

Web page to address high percentage of Black suspensions

A group that includes African-American professors at Eastern Kentucky University is developing a Web page aimed at getting information to students and educators to help them reduce the disproportionate numbers of black students being suspended in Kentucky schools.

For the 2009-'10 school year, 26 out of every 100 students in Kentucky who were suspended for violations of board policies were African Americans, while eight of every 100 students were white, according to the Kentucky Safe Schools Data Project.

Superintendents, principals, teachers, and students will be able to go to the Web page and find information aimed at reducing suspensions and expulsions, said Sherwood Thompson, Assistant Dean in the College of Education at EKU.

"We want to lend our academic resources to a problem that is mushrooming," Thompson said.

A web presence is anticipated by fall, Thompson told H-L, and will provide information on programs being attempted by other school districts nationally, such as teacher training and creating student courts, to reduce the number of suspensions.

Apparently Jon Akers, executive director of the Kentucky Center for School Safety at EKU, and former PL Dunbar principal in Lexington got it started.

As the honcho at KCSS, Jon shares school safety information and ideas with all Kentucky school districts on a regular basis. Some of that data says...

For the 2009-'10 school year, 35 of every 100 students suspended in Fayette County were African-American, compared with 9 of every 100 students who were white.

In February, Fayette County Public Schools and the Equity Council — a group that advises the school board — joined with the non-profit Children's Law Center to try to cut high rates of suspensions and disciplinary actions involving African-Americans and students with disabilities.

The agreement required Fayette County to reduce the disproportionately large number of suspensions among such students. The Fayette district is implementing a system called PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) to help students and faculty members avoid disciplinary conflicts. The program will be used in five pilot schools.

Haycock's Bullet Points

KSN&C had a brief chat with Kati Haycock before her presentation. In a nutshell, she is concerned about the likelihood of NCLB reauthorization in present political climate.

EKU President Doug Whitlock introduces Haycock

Here are some snippets from Haycock's presentation:

• College-going is up in all sectors, but especially for whites. So while college-going is up for minorities, the gap between the rich and poor has grown.
• Low income students are less likely to graduate.
• Upper income kids graduate at 8 times higher rate. Is this a threat to democracy?
• Today's young folks are less educated than their parents..for the first time.
• We have turned the corner on closing gaps in elementary and middle schools but not in high school.
• Recent federal dollars have shifted toward more affluent students with reductions of pell grants which support poor students.
• More money has been channeled to non-need based aid.
• Colleges themselves - through the actions they take and don't take - contribute to this.
• Colleges have reduced institutional aid to low income students while increasing aid to affluent students.
• 60% of institutional support at 4-year colleges, goes to students with no financial need whatsoever.
• College results comparing schools with identical populations vary greatly.
• EKU graduation rate is low for 4year-1st year Frosh but has closed the income gap; males lag females.

"What we see in Georgia is

poor people buying lottery tickets

that go toward sending rich kids to college."

Roger Cleveland and Sherwood Thompson

Colleges that improve look at their data - and react.

• Schools that improve pay attention to their leading indicators.
• Lack of available course sections stalls too many students, frustrates them and some drop out.
• Pay attention to details...especially attendance.
• Pay attention to introductory courses...big enrollments that serve high percentage of students.
• Successful schools bring back the students they lose.
• Leaders make sure student success is a priority.
• Assign clear responsibility for student success.
• Do not hesitate to demand and require what students need to do.

Jim Rinehart (center) with Billy Thames and Bob Biggin (back right)