PORTLAND (AP) — Fewer students in the Portland school district are being suspended or expelled, but black and Native American students are still being sent home at far greater rates than white students.
The school district is trying to reduce the overall rate of exclusionary discipline and the gap between the rates of such discipline for whites and minority groups such as blacks and Native Americans, The Oregonian reported Monday.
The state sanctioned the district last fall, requiring it to spend money on programs to close the gaps.
The district’s ultimate mission is to keep more kids in class to help boost graduation rates, instead of removing them from school when they misbehave, school officials said.
Only 20 percent of students who had been excluded between five and 10 times graduated on time in 2012-2013, compared with 68 percent of students who were never excluded from school.
Overall, the number of students suspended or expelled last year dropped from 4.7 percent to 3.3 percent. But 15 percent of African-American boys and 15 percent of Native American boys were excluded at least once, compared with 4 percent of white boys.
The trends start as early as kindergarten, said Lolenzo Poe, the district’s chief equity and diversity officer and partnership director.
Roughly 12 percent of Native American students and 9 percent of African-American students were excluded between pre-kindergarten and third grade, compared with about 1 percent of white students.
The district has outlined three main strategies to reach the goal of slicing exclusions and disparities in half, including restorative justice.
That’s described as an alternative discipline model that focuses on dialogue and rebuilding relationships.
Instead of immediately punishing a student for acting out, the model encourages students to talk with their peers, principals and teachers about how their actions affect the school community.
