Clampdown on Suspensions Among California's New Education Laws

Submitted by MCAnderson on Wed, 01/02/2013 - 20:04

By KQED News Staff, KQED News Fix

Some big changes are in store for California schools in 2013, with the most significant development perhaps coming in the way that schools suspend students.

We asked KQED's education reporter, Ana Tintocalis to clue us in on what's new in education this year. Ana, break it down:

Suspending students to become more difficult: In the summer, UCLA researchers came out with a groundbreaking report that shed light on the racial disparities in school suspensions in California. The report found that not only does California have one of the highest suspension rates in the country, but that the vast majority of suspended students are African American. It also found that California is issuing more suspensions than diplomas, and that kids who get kicked out of school are five times more likely to drop out and three times more likely to enter the juvenile justice system. This research spawned a number of other reports, and the data was so stark that those who had already been doing advocacy work on the issue used it to push reform measures, catching the attention of legislators.

Read the complete story at KQED News Fix.