Education is a right which all Americans, no matter color, race, or ethnicity, may receive. Every person should be treated equally and possess the same education as others do. We all know that when we speak of education we must speak of the discipline that takes place in those schools. It’s also very important to speak of its effectiveness. Schools must “discipline” or correct their students for misbehaving or being disrespectful, but have minorities specifically been facing harsher discipline then their white counterparts? Does racism have anything to do with this, are many minorities just misbehaving more, or is there really any truth behind these statements and accusations? It seems that minority students are receiving harsher discipline and in most cases this shows to be ineffective.
Schools are meant to provide students with equal education as well as equal discipline. Many studies are showing that minorities such as African Americans and Hispanics are facing harsher discipline than their white counter parts. A recent study, done by the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights’, has shown that “black students are more than three and a half times as likely to be suspended or expelled”. The University of Colorado’s report “Discipline Policies, Successful Schools, And Racial Justice” found that more than 30% of black students caught in possession of cell phones for the first time were suspended. They also found out that only 17% of the white students who committed the same infraction were suspended. This shows that discipline in schools seem to be disproportionate and minorities are facing harsher penalties. It shocks me, personally, that twice as many black students were suspended for the same action that was done by other white students. Even though it seems that minorities are facing harsher discipline than their white counterpart, no one can really pin-point why this is so. In some and probably very few cases, racism may have a role in this, but we...