60 percent of Texans suspended before high school graduation

broken family, failed discipline, debt ridden countries, WHAT IS GOING ON WITH USA? summer military camp would be a good move. youth need to learn how to obey and MARCH, they need to learn the skill to survive. and follow orders

Didn't say anything about Mexican students.

This is just shameful of my generation. Regardless of race, I think contemporary pop culture glorifies lack of discipline and the need to demonstrate power through superficial means (money, strength, sex, etc) as well as setting unrealistic examples, such as lives led by some of today's major pop icons and reality television celebrities. True strength lies within education of the mind and body, sound decisions, and reasonable thoughts. We need to advance from this brutish mindset. I'm glad this mindset never infected me like it has many of my peers. I value education and I value sound judgment. This isn't to say that I believe that my generation should be perfect, just understand how decisions today can affect them tomorrow. That saying about living for today holds true when you made today an ideal circumstance; though it is fun, adolescence is not an ideal circumstance, and we should definitely not think about only living for today. I just hope we see that before it's too late.

It seems this article was honest, although some seem to suggest it leans towards blaming the "system", but it didn't hide the fact that most of the kids are black. I'm black for the record, and frankly didn't want my kid going to a majority black school because of this very problem. Lack of discipline and parenting is at the root of these issues. Probably the parents of these kids have a ghetto mentality and simply don't value education, and don't go to church. The parents of these kids are loud without civility thus the kids are loud and brash. Nothing wrong with being poor, but there is something wrong with not having values, and not understanding and appreciating education. This is not all blacks, as many are doing well but it's those that are left behind that we hear about. Look I was raised early by my dad who couldn't read or write he was born in the South in 1935, but he insisted that I go to school and study and get good grades. He also never blamed anyone for his plight in life or said disparaging things about whites or any other groups, as his concern was me. I skipped school once not knowing that he checked on me, he found me and literally whooped me while we walked home; he even said hi to a passer-by too, notice I said skipped once. Ghetto parents today laugh at their daughters dancing nasty at the age of two rather than chastising them. They think it's cute when their little-man acts thuggish, why, because they are caught-up too. Caught-up in a thuggish street mentality that the only hope is through basketball, or some other sport; through OJ getting perceived justice for their perceived injustices in life; despite a life of repeated wrong choices. Their kids run the schools by bullying other students, eventually they get left behind to only have their kids repeat the cycle of ignorance and the ghetto mentality. Now that’s optimistic as many die in the streets. It takes exceptional luck for a kid raised in the “hood” to come out without succumbing to peer pressure and joining gangs. Civility is a norm long lost in the hood, it’s also lost on Yahoo boards, so the rest of us have to pay one way or another. I digress, the parents must change first, but how can change occur when they see nothing wrong! When crime in normal, and they themselves benefit from their child’s ill gotten gain. The onus is not on the educational system, rather the parents, at some point they have to wake-up and be responsible for the monster they’ve created.

Here in NY, that number is 72%. i wonder why NYT is picking on texas instead of picking on their own state.

I'm a retired US Navy Captain (that's the same pay grade as a Colonel in the other services for those unfamiliar with Navy rank structure) who spent 25-years leading young people in the very demanding life at sea in the far corners of the planet. As a commissioned officer I had a lot of power, even as a newly commissioned Ensign (2nd Lieutenant), over those in my command. One learns to use that power judiciously and to lead by example; showing people the right way to do things. Officers also have a lot of help from their senior enlisted leaders as well. They keep things "ship shape" and running smoothly. However, when one had no choice but to "drop the hammer" on someone who had misbehaved, we had the Uniform Code of Military Justice to lean on. I could, especially in the latter stages of my career, confine someone to the ship for upwards of 60 days as well as take away their present rank and half of their pay for two months. None of this is considered a conviction in court. It is merely a commanding officer maintaining good order and discipline, and the malefactor not only got taught a lesson, but he or she was also held up as an example for the crew on what happens when you beard the lion. I retired in 2003. In 2004 I became a full-time public high school history teacher in suburban Phoenix, AZ. The school was extremely "diverse," though predominately white and middlecl#$%$. From day one, everything from my knowledge to my manhood was challenged by these kids, and worse, by the administrators for whom I served. With two master's degrees to my credit, I am pretty sure my knowledge was good, as I was certified to teach both social studies and the hard sciences. However, the simple fact is that other than leadership by example, I had no real way to enforce the school district's discipline code. Worse yet, if a teacher did write a referral on a student for misbehavior, the teacher's cl#$%$room management abilities were called into question by the administration. I watched many good, knowledgeable, teachers, especially women, leave after only a year or two; some quite frankly out of fear both real and imagined. I was a bit tougher and hanged in there for six years, but even I, a combat veteran, had had enough. Candidly, I grew afraid of my increasing inability to ignore the very real slights to what the ancient Romans referred to as their "dignitas" and "auctoritas." I am a large man with some military "skills" and I was afraid that one of these days I was going to lose it and give one of the little #$%$ some "wall to wall counseling"; or break every thumb covertly texting under their desks (it is one of my dreams to find the person who invented the cell phone and blackberry, etc. and shove said communications instruments up their #$%$ sideways). I feel for the good kids, the ones I taught in Advanced Placement (AP) US History. They deserved a lot better than what they got when the administration decided it was OK to fill those AP cl#$%$es with 42 kids! The AP program states that 18 is the max that a teacher should try to teach and manage. I got 42 each in three cl#$%$es, and taught two others in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. All of them were cheated by this lunacy. So, the people of Arizona, a state with a very suspect educational success rate, lost another good, knowledgeable and dedicated teacher. All because no one above me had the balls to tell Mommy and Daddy that little Johnny is the devil's spawn and the best part of him had dribbled down Daddy's leg. A pox on all of their houses. I work in an engineering firm now making three times what the state was paying me to try to instill some knowledge and life skills in its youth, but more to the point, to put up with the abject cowardice of the administrators and the lack of parenting skills by those who dropped their issue on an unsuspecting society. Good luck America; you are going to need it.

All you non-teachers out there can say whatever you like; until you've spent months inside a classroom as a teacher you have no clue as to what you're talking about. I taught and subbed for 5 years in the Pinellas County school system in Florida. The reason why 70% of African-American girls are expelled/suspended etc. is because they're little brats who think they can do whatever they want in a classroom and make it IMPOSSIBLE to teach the ones who want to learn.
You want to scream about equal rights, well these little snots are denying an equal opportunity to everyone who does want to learn. I said it a million times and I'll say it again; I don't care what race you are or anything else, you disrupt class and I will kick your sorry selfish, narcissistic butt out of my classroom. I don't care if it's 99% of the class. The one student who wants to learn will have that opportunity. Just because you're black doesn't mean squat.

If through Black Gangster Rap WE feed our young on 'disrespect', 'hate', 'anger', 'rebellion', and 'disrespect especially toward women' then our young are going to have more behavior problems in school then those who don't (and wont') allow their kids to listen to such musical indoctrination. Come on, we are not that stupid, our babies are growing up idolizing those who promote such behavior and then we wonder why they have more problems in school. Lets teach our kids respect for authority, forgiveness, self-control, generosity, love, and gentleness and our kids will put all the others to shame by their behavior. And lets stop teaching our kids that they are oppressed, we are only teaching them resentment and rage. Lets tell them instead that the world is wide open before them and they can make it what they want it to be and can become whatever they want to be. But it comes through decent behavior and hard work. Blacks and whites and all other races succeed all the time in this country by treating others right and hard work. If we teach them that they are oppressed and let them feed on Black Rap, then WE ARE HANDICAPPING YOUR OWN BABIES!! IT IS TIME WE CHANGE. Our kids are falling behind other races kids and it's our own fault, we handicap them by the things we put in their heads. Our kids will change when we change first!

the trouble with disruptive students started when the child abuse laws gave the children the right to rebel. it became noted that school teachers could not deciplne students for wrong doings, parents became afraid of there kids for fear of being reported to authorities and probably be jailed or fined. now tell me how many of you that attended school in the 50's and 60's walked a straight line for fear of being paddled or fear of parents being notified and get ground. troubled kids have always been around, but not as bad as today. child abuse laws were implemented to protect from drunken parents and child molesters. parents shouldn't be afraid of there own children, thats why children loose respected for the elders, they know they can get away with by just calling the police and lying.

perhaps african-americans should try to behave and obey common rule and courtesy. at some point they have to take responsibility for their actions!!!!

Lack of discipline at home makes them act like animals when they're out with the general public.

I was wondering why they decided to pick Texas and no other state and then I looked at who funded the study...Atlantic Philanthropies and the Open Society Foundations. Check out their websites and you will understand very quickly why.

It's not just Texans. In Detroit, 80% of the high schools fail to produce ONE kid that, upon 'graduation' is actually ready for college. Pathetic. Maybe it's time to bring back corporal punishment into the schools ? The kids are the way they are because they are 100% certain that nobody will lay a single hand on them. Bring back the fear, and you'll bring back better grades.

Imagine if a gang of over a dozen white kids gang raped a black female child in Texas. The press would go insane. It would be the story of the decade. Now imagine what really happened. A gang of up to 19 blacks did in fact gang rape a white female child in Liberty Texas. Charges are currently being compiled. The news coverage is confined to local coverage only.

Wow, what a surprise. The black students require more disciplinary action than the white ones. Who would have thought? Guess what? The results are no different in other states, even ultra-liberal California.

The reason that there is a disproportionate number of black and Hispanic kids being suspended and/or disciplined in schools is because they are the one doing the most misbehaving. I have been a public school teacher in Texas for 35 years, and Ican assure I don't wake up every morning and say to myself, "How can I screw over a black or Hispanic kid today." That is just ludicrous. I go to work everyday with the idea that kids are going to follow directions, put forth their best effort, and work hard to attain a quality education. Somewhere along the way, society got the impression that teachers can make students learn. It is not a passive process for the student. A student must work hard and apply himself in order to learn - it doesn't happen by osmosis. Teachers can create an environment conducive to learning, can motivate students to work hard, can give extra assistance to those students who require it...but the bottom line is the student has to want to learn, put forth his best effort to learn, and care about learning in the first place. And don't blame parents and or environment for student failure. Every student makes his own decision to get a good education or not. By blaming it on their home environment or socio-economic circumstances. we are perpetuating the same cycle of poverty and ignorance that has gone on for too many generations as it is. Today's students have to want to break this cycle and be willing to put forth the effort to make it happen. Otherwise, they are doomed to fall into the same path their parents and grandparents did.

Of course “black” girls get suspended more; they never shut the he!! up.

Half of those suspensions were for unapproved hairstyles or raggety jeans.

I just finished sending 2 children through a Texas high school, both with class size around 600 students, and out of all of their friends, I only know the brother of one friend that was suspended. I would have guessed 2 to 3 % instead of 60%. that number does not make sense to me.

My oldest daughter (19) is a pre-med student at a prestigious university in the mid-west. My 2nd oldest is entering an Ivy League college this Fall & will be in the marching band. Big 10 league school.
BOTH HAVE BEEN HOMESCHOOLED & YES, OBVIOUSLY THEY ARE "WELL SOCIALIZED." Do you home work. There is data proving that it works better than traditional schooling. Most parents do have the capacity to do this! If you are interested look into it, it really works.