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R.I. student survey: Adult educators too quick to discipline

September 23, 2016 By Peter Chung Leave a Comment

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – High school students in two school districts say educators threaten to suspend them for minor disciplinary matters, according to a student survey of more than 1,800 youth.

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R.I. student survey: Adult educators too quick to discipline

By Linda Borg

Journal Staff Writer

Posted Jun. 2, 2016 @ 9:42 pm

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – High school students in two school districts say educators threaten to suspend them for minor disciplinary matters, according to a student survey of more than 1,800 youth.

The survey, conducted by Young Voices, a youth leadership organization based in Providence, gathered information from 10 high schools in Providence and Tolman High School in Pawtucket. The group also looked at data from a similar survey conducted by students from Central Falls High School. Young Voices used a Web-based program called Survey Monkey to compile and analyze the data.

Young Voices reported that 59 percent of the students surveyed at Tolman agreed that “some adults in my school tend to escalate conflicts” and more than half of the students surveyed in Providence said the same thing.   Fifty-four percent of the Tolman youth agreed that “adults in my school threaten to suspend students for minor misbehavior or miscommunication,” while 51 percent of the Providence students agreed with that statement.

Pawtucket Supt. Patti DiCenso said she couldn’t confirm the validity of the survey because it was done without the department’s knowledge. She also implied that her district would look for new partners to improve Tolman’s climate “due to concern that the purported survey was presented to us [Wednesday] for the first time … prior to being released to the press today.”

DiCenso said the district recently received additional aid from the city to increase emotional and social support for students.

Central Falls students said they were much more satisfied with the discipline practices at their high school, with 64 percent of the students surveyed agreeing that discipline is handled effectively.

Providence Supt. Christopher N. Maher said he has been meeting with several student groups since his arrival here last summer.  “We’re looking to figure out how to increase our investment in restorative justice,” he said. “We’ve had a couple of programs work well and we’re figuring out how to replicate them.”

Maher said he welcomed an ongoing dialogue with student leaders, adding, “We need to do a better job of amplifying student voice.”

A November study by the Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union found that black and Latino students continue to be suspended at substantially higher rates than their white peers. It also concluded that Rhode Island’s schools suspend students for minor infractions such as insubordination that experts agree should not result in a child’s removal from the classroom.

Karen Feldman, executive director of Young Voices, said the organization “hopes that adults in the schools we work with take these student recommendations to heart and work in partnership with students to improve school culture.”

Young Voices recommends that the Providence and Pawtucket schools embrace a model called restorative justice, whose goal is to improve student behavior without removing a child from school. The organization also calls for training teachers in de-escalation techniques and hiring behavior specialists to help students resolve conflicts.

– lborg@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7823

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Young Voices is a Rhode Island-based non-profit organization that transforms urban youth into powerful advocates, who partner with our State’s major leaders to create systemic reform and policy change that improve the lives of thousands of youth across the state.

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