After reading Danielle's Loudoun Now article, "School Leaders: Disabled and Minority Students Suspension Rates Still a Concern," I was struck with the foundational assumption that underlies the notion that "data does not lie." The assumption is that the disproportionate numbers of minority and disabled students disciplined with suspension or expulsion, indicates nefarious racism or angst against minorities and special needs students. I respectfully challenge that underlying assumption.
Data serves a purpose, but it does not tell the entire story any more than science quantifies virtue. Some parts of human life are not quantified, weighed, measured or neatly placed in an algorithm. Data serves a purpose but it does not accurately reflect the breadth of the school behavior anomaly. Can the virtue of courage be empirically discerned? No. Science has its limits.
I can decide to board an airplane, trusting that scientific data has determined the best possible wing span, navigation instrumentation, and the size and scope of the aircraft cabin. But do I know if the pilot slept well or had bourbon for breakfast? No? His integrity and wisdom are unknowns to me and cannot be scientifically discerned. What about his courage in the face of crisis? Has that data on that particular pilot been gathered and analyzed? In actuality, I board the plane understanding that both science and goodwill faith inform my decision. I trust the good work done in the construction of the aircraft and I trust the good Lord to take care of me through a well-disciplined pilot. We live and breath by faith.
My laborious point is that the data showing that Loudoun County schools have an imbalanced disproportionate number of minority and learning disabled students being suspended or expelled DOES NOT necessarily mean that teachers and principals are unfair to said students. The statistical data is not intended, nor can it, empirically verify racism among teachers and principals in Loudoun County. If the specter of racial discrimination is the ghost in the room, why aren't Asian students or Middle Eastern students on the disparate list?
This problem will never be fixed if we refuse to ask the right questions? Are there other factors that affect student discipline besides racial bias? Unstable home life? Parental involvement and parental priority of education? Enough rest? Upon entering the classroom, is it the first time the student has heard, "No?" Is the student diligent or lazy? The list of factors is nearly infinite.
For every child, there are any number of reasons for their behavior. It is not possible to get to the bottom of those myriad reasons for needed discipline. However, assuming that the gavel of justice drops with the data is naive and a gross misjudgment. Do parents bear some responsibility for their child's misbehavior? Do the children bear a yoke of responsibility for their words and actions?
These questions are where shoe leather meets the linoleum floor. As an educator, I probably swung toward favoring students of color or students with disabilities. Overcoming the hurdles of dyslexia are daunting. When the letters are moving, learning to read requires finely honed mental and physical adjustments. Not for the faint of heart. And mine always went out to the mentally challenged students I taught. But if Hezekiah - my beloved Native American student - needed discipline, I did not want to second guess decisions because the disproportionate minority data does not lie. I needed to do what needed to be done with appropriate charity and goodwill toward both Hezekiah and the students bothered by his disruption - or eruption. The truth is that Hezekiah never needed disciplinary action. Maybe that, come to think of it, is why he was one of my favorites. Is there truth-telling data for the fine teachers and administrators who go the extra mile with struggling students? If there was, it would tell a crucial part of the story.
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