Reply to 2015 study on school punishment: black students get criminalized, whites get medicated & therapy

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[quote=Anonymous]^^ This story is so troubling on so many levels. I really feel for the young man who had his opportunities so limited. I think it is important to advocate for your child and communicate. I try to keep very open lines of communication with my DS, so I can understand his behavior and discuss better behavioral options. I wonder if a parent had gotten engaged in this story earlier would it have made a difference? A parent going to the school after the first incident to reinforce that this was a good kid that had been provoked. Any thoughts OP?

I remember being in an "excellent" school in an upper middle class suburb where many of the AA parents assumed because the schools were good they would be good for their kid. The AA kids were treated horribly, and some of the parents were disengaged, because they were overconfident that an excellent school would be enough. In HS several friends from school would spend time at my house, where they would share their problems with teachers. In many cases their own parents couldn't advocate (trusted the teachers more than the kids/were afraid to stir things up). My mom with a group of parents started a parents club to support all of the kids -- it brought some seriously questionable practices (such as tracking by race and limited college counseling for children of color) to light. Surprisingly, in this case, I think it is precisely the respect for authority and teachers, by some AA parents that burned some of the kids. The teacher just "had to be always right and the kid was always wrong." Navigating the exceptions and gray areas are very important. Knowing how to question authority when needed seems to be key to long term success (think Gladwell's Outliers cases of failed geniuses who couldn't get this right).

This is territory that we always are always navigating with our children, regardless of our SES or two parent households. [/quote]

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