Is Harsh School Discipline Necessary? That’s Up for Debate
There's nothing wrong with our children. They are brilliant! When we give them the opportunity to develop their talents, skills, and more importantly their sense of place in this world, they amaze us every time. If you want to see our children and youth doing great things, then learn about the places and organizations that are doing great work, support them, and develop more opportunities like those.
The Baltimore Urban Debate League is one of those examples...
Every child should be able to dream big, yet we’re facing a discipline crisis in schools across the United States. Children should be placed on pathways to college and the careers of their dreams. Instead, too often they are pushed out of the classroom and into the juvenile justice system through the use of overly harsh school disciplinary policies.
As the Baltimore Urban Debate League has shown, solutions exist. We just need to take the time to identify and implement alternatives that give students needed support—and the chance to dream big.
Many thanks to Shawn Dove at the Open Society Institute's Campaign for Black Male Achievement for passing this along. And many thanks Judith Browne Dianis for her brief piece, and to the Baltimore Urban Debate League and The Advancement Project for the work they're doing.
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