Practice Memo

MEMORANDUM

To: Arne Duncan, Secretary of United States Department of Education

From: Adnan Karim

Re: Why Implementing More Effective Policies and Procedures in Addressing Disruptive Behavior in Public Schools Should be a High Priority

Date: October 8, 2014

I am writing to make the case that the need for implementing more effective policies and procedures in school discipline be a top priority. This demands immediate consideration, as the widely recognized crisis of the "school to prison pipeline" and school discipline become more challenging.

In this memo, I will address the following questions: (1) How large is the issue of needing more effective school disciplinary procedures ? (2)What is the current trend of students receiving disciplinary action? (3) What is the cause of ineffective school discipline? (4) What are the consequences of ineffective school discipline?

I would like to now describe the problem in more detail.

1. Size of the issue: How large is the problem? Disruptive behavior is becoming severe, and the practices schools implement are ineffective. This is especially true of urban schools. Suspensions are the most widely used discipline practice in schools, resulting in roughly 3.3 million suspensions each year. Suspensions stand out among the predictors for a student dropping out of school. Studies suggest that if a student has been suspended, it increases the likelihood of that student dropping out by 78%. The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights used data to show that African American students are 3 times more likely to receive suspension when compared to white students. These figures alone are alarming and demand immediate attention. For the past 20 years, punishment tactics such as detention, suspension, and expulsions have been the rubric for classroom management and school discipline.

2. Trends in school discipline practices. Detentions, suspensions, expulsions, policing, and other forms of...