Education Week - August 24, 2016 - 1

Education Week

VOL. 36, NO. 1 * AUGUST 24, 2016

edweek.org:

BRE AKING NEWS DAILY

Students Still
Face Paddling
In U.S. Schools
Punishment Rates for Blacks
Nearly Double Those for Whites

Corporal punishment has declined so rapidly
in the United States in the last 15 years that
many people think it's practically nonexistent
in modern American public schools.
To the contrary, more than 109,000 students
were paddled, swatted, or otherwise physically punished in U.S. classrooms in 2013-14,
according to Education Week Research Center analyses of the most recent wave of federal civil rights data.
Corporal punishment is often seen by proponents as a good alternative to suspending students. But in a field that requires specialized
certification for all manner of programs and
subjects, corporal punishment stands out for
the virtual nonexistence of training or detailed
procedures on how to paddle children of different
sizes, ages, or psychological profiles. And in the
absence of such training or guidance, the practice
can leave students more vulnerable to injury and
districts at greater risk of expensive lawsuits.
Federal civil rights data show students experienced corporal punishment in 21 states and
more than 4,000 schools nationwide during
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Yalonda M. James for Education Week

By Sarah D. Sparks
& Alex Harwin

8th Grade Paddling Takes Long-Lasting Toll on Miss. Man
By Sarah D. Sparks
When then-8th grader Trey Clayton entered the Independence High School assistant principal's office for a paddling in
2011, everyone-school officials, his mom,
even Trey himself-thought it was a preferable alternative to being suspended.
"I'm not going to lie, I was in a lot of trou-

ble during school," Clayton said. "Every time,
they gave me the option to get a paddling or
get sent home, and I took the paddling."
But that March, the decision to take
paddling over suspension would lead
to weeks out of school, years of court
battles-and ultimately Clayton leaving
school entirely.
Advocates of physical discipline often

Students in 21 states experienced some form of physical punishment
in K-12 schools during the 2013-14 school year.

Fueled by their fury over cuts to K-12
budgets, low pay, and an array of other
grievances, a scrappy group of teachers is attempting to upend Oklahoma's
political establishment this
N election season.
O
I
T
ELEC
After ousting the state's
superintendent in a 2014
primary, the loosely organized group of educators from
around the state successfully campaigned to
scrap the state's teacher-evaluation system
that was tied to students' test scores. They
notched another victory when they lobbied to defeat a bill backed by Republican
Gov. Mary Fallin that would've expanded
the use of vouchers.
So last spring, when someone suggested to
their Facebook group that they start legislating themselves, more than 40 teachers filed
to run for one of the 126 open seats in the
state's Senate and House of Representatives.

2016

Outside the political apparatus of teachers' unions, individual educators have historically not been so active in rough-andtumble political and policymaking arenas.
Even though they are the real-world experts on the day-to-day challenges of educating children, it's often noneducators
who shape the policies that impact their
jobs. But a number of recent policy shifts
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Shane Bevel for Education Week

Oklahoma City

If enough of the estimated 43 educators
win their races in the November general
election, they could nudge the deeply conservative state to the left on several education issues.
"If you're not going to do your job, I
want your seat," said Shawn Sheehan,
the state's current teacher of the year,
who's running as an independent for a
state Senate seat.

point to it as an effective means of getting
students in line without missing school
time from suspensions. But new research
not only questions the effectiveness of corporal punishment like spanking and paddling, but suggests it might make it more
difficult for students to behave well in the
future.
"It's been part of these schools for decades, and the teachers and administrators
are sure it works," said Elizabeth T. Gershoff, an associate professor and corporal
punishment researcher at the University of
Texas at Austin. "But everything we know
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Okla. Teachers Shake Up Politics, Run for Office
By Daarel Burnette II

Trey Clayton, 19,
sits on his porch in
Sarah, Miss. A school
paddling in 2011 led
to serious injuries
for Clayton, who now
says, "I do believe
in discipline, but
I believe there's
certain things you
can take to prevent
stuff like that
happening."

Recently retired teacher
Judy Mullen Hopper, left,
talks to Dianna Carter
in Oklahoma City while
canvassing voters in
her campaign for a state
Senate seat. Dozens of
educators in Oklahoma
are running for office
in hopes of upending
the state's stance
on K-12 issues.

Big-City Schools' Group
Leaves Mark on K-12
Faces Tests to Its Staying Power
By Denisa R. Superville
One of the most stalwart advocates for big-city
school districts and a power player in federal education policy got its start 60 years ago as an ad
hoc meeting of superintendents worried about
prospects for graduates in cities where manufacturing jobs were dwindling.
That group-including superintendents from
Chicago, Cleveland, New York City, and San
Francisco-evolved into the Council of the Great
City Schools, the Washington-based advocacy organization that champions the interests of the
country's 69 largest urban districts and Hawaii's
statewide school system.
Along the way, the council became a formidable
voice on behalf of urban districts, and has served
as a forum for big-city school leaders to learn from
one another. The group has left an imprint on
major federal education legislation and policies,
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Education Week - August 24, 2016

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