pbs高端访谈:少数民族学生需遵守更严厉的纪律

 　　JUDY WOODRUFF:We turn to education and the impact tougher discipline policies are having on minority students. It turns out young black and Hispanic students are far more likely to receive tough school punishments, including suspensions, than white students.

　　Jeffrey Brown has more on the story.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:Those were some of the findings in a report released today by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights.

　　Overall, the report found African-American students are three-and-a-half times more likely to be suspended or expelled than whites. And 70 percent of students arrested or referred to law enforcement for disciplinary problems are black or Latino.

　　The report also looked at disparities in educational opportunities.

　　Speaking today at Howard University in Washington, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said, for example, that schools with a high number of black and Hispanics are less likely to offer calculus¹.

　　SECRETARY OF EDUCATION ARNE DUNCAN: Even in schools offering calculus, Hispanics make up 20 percent of those schools' student body, with just 10 percent of the students actually enrolled² in calculus. That under-representation has to end.

　　Overall, while black and Hispanics make up 44 percent of the students in this survey, they make up only 26 percent of students in gifted-and-talented programs. Something's wrong with that picture as well.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:So, we take a closer look at today's now report with Christopher Edley, dean of the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. He also serves as co-chair of the Equity³ and Excellence⁴ Commission created by the Department of Education.

　　And Chester Finn, president of the Fordham Institute, which focuses on the reform of elementary and secondary education, he served as assistant secretary of education in the Reagan Administration.

　　Well, Christopher Edley, I will start with you.

　　And start with the issue of discipline and punishment. What jumps out at you? What is important here?

　　CHRISTOPHER EDLEY,University California, Berkeley, Law School: Well, let me make three quick points.

　　I mean, it is—from a civil rights perspective, I think civil rights lawyers would look at these huge disparities that Arne Duncan was just talking about, and where there's smoke, there's fire. They would say that this makes out a suspicious case that there may be a some kind of discrimination going on.

　　Certainly, if we saw these kinds of disparities in an employment setting, people would jump on it. But the second thing I would say is that—and more important than that is that the expulsions, the suspensions, these huge disparities in discipline show that we're really not providing equal educational opportunity.

　　You can't be providing opportunity if kids are kicked out of the school. And there are alternatives to those disciplinary measures. There are alternatives in terms of interventions⁵, in training teachers to do a better job of classroom management, and interventions to figure out what's going wrong in that kid's life.

　　But the third and most important thing, I would say, apart from a civil rights enforcement issue, is that these kinds of disparities in discipline are highly correlated with tremendous disparities in academic achievement, in academic attainment⁶, that if a school is not successful at figuring out why Jamal and Jose are acting⁷ out, the chances are pretty slim that they're figuring out why Maria is two years behind in reading.

　　So, fixing our schools, supporting our teachers, intervening with our kids in a way that we're searching for a strategy that works for each kid, that's the civil rights issue.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:All right, Chester Finn, does it rise to that level for you? What kind of implications do you see?

　　CHESTER FINN,Thomas B. Fordham Institute: Well, I'm glad they're collecting the data, which hasn't been happening for a while. And a lot of the data certainly are alarming.

　　But it would certainly be a mistake to see a racist⁸ behind every tree in American education. The schools are not doing a good job with poor and minority kids. And we have known that from many indicators⁹, including those that Dean Edley has referred to.

　　And certainly one symptom of school problems are these disparate discipline rates. But we have to also keep in mind that teachers and principals are trying to run an orderly school, where kids who are serious about studying are not disrupted. And it would be a mistake to keep in class a kid who was a problem child as well.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:Well, let me ask you—just stop you right there and stay with you. . .

　　CHESTERFINN:Sure.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:. . . because one of the questions I assume this raises goes to the so-called zero tolerance¹⁰ policies in many schools. . .

　　CHESTERFINN:Yeah.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:. . . where an automatic suspension comes for a variety of misdeeds.

　　CHESTERFINN:Some of which don't deserve it, some of which do.

　　If a youngster is found in school with a loaded gun, for example, I think that is an instant suspension or expulsion cause. On the other hand, a kid who talks back to a teacher wouldn't qualify or shouldn't qualify for zero tolerance, should be given a good dressing-down and told to behave better.

　　So I think that, as with zero tolerance laws in the larger society, this can be overdone¹¹ in school. And, frankly¹², some educators hide behind these zero tolerance policies, because it means they don't have to make the decision about what to do with a kid. They can just say, the rules compel me to suspend you.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:So, Dean Edley, when you broaden it out to these other disparities -- and you already started to do that—you get data like this, what does one do with it? What happens next or should happen next?

　　CHRISTOPHER EDLEY:Just to be clear—and I, by the way, agree with everything that Chester just said—if schools are throwing kids out, suspending, expelling, this kind of discipline, then it's absolutely certain that you're driving those kids away from a commitment to academic achievement.

　　And, in that sense, this is just not good for society. We're focused on—try to improve not just the equity, but the overall excellence of our schools, because we care about the opportunity for individual kids, but also because we know that America as a whole can't have the security, can't have the prosperity we want if we continue to run dropout¹³ factories as high schools and discard 30, 40 percent of our human capital.

　　So, it's the smoking gun aspect of this that I think is most instructive for those us who are concerned with school reform as a whole. Interestingly, as bad as zero tolerance policies are—and I think they are terrible and I think they're a civil rights problem—in schools where there is a zero tolerance policy, the disparities between minors¹⁴ and white kids shrink.

　　So, in fact, it's the discretion¹⁵ that's used in the context of discipline or in the context of referring kids to special education where implicit¹⁶ bias¹⁷ may play a role, where the inability, the professional undertraining, if you will, of teachers may come to the fore¹⁸ as a factor in creating the different treatment of kids.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:All right.

　　So -- well, Chester Finn, let me—the same question. What does one do with this data at the local level or at a national level. Arne Duncan said—was quoted today as, this is really about self-analysis. He was suggesting administrators¹⁹ and teachers look in the mirror to see the good, bad and ugly.

　　CHESTERFINN:And of course they should. And of course data are valuable for people running schools and school systems.

　　Some of this, though, is not within the control of the schools. Some of the kids who are being disciplined are coming from troubled homes and troubled neighborhoods, and bringing a host of problems with them into the school, the school, which has a—actually occupies a very small fraction of their lives, the school cannot solve all by itself.

　　So I don't want to lay the entire burden here on schools. There's larger societal issues here, too. You can look at criminal incarceration²⁰ rates in the justice system, too, and see similar disparities. But some people do commit crimes. And, just similarly, some kids don't behave well in school.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:And you're talking—you're referring to disparities that go beyond the punishment question.

　　CHESTERFINN:Way beyond the punishment question.

　　They also go to the academic achievement question, as Chris Edley was saying, to the teacher quality question, to whether you learned what you should have in sixth grade, in order that you can successful in seventh grade, because, if you're not successful in seventh grade, you're more likely to act out. And if you act out, you're more likely to be thrown out, which is, of course, a vicious cycle that begins way back probably in first grade.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:All right, we will have to stop there.

　　But, Chester Finn, Christopher Edley, thanks so much.

　　CHESTERFINN:Pleasure.

1 calculus   

n.微积分；结石

参考例句：

• This is a problem where calculus won't help at all.对于这一题，微积分一点也用不上。
• After studying differential calculus you will be able to solve these mathematical problems.学了微积分之后，你们就能够解这些数学题了。

2 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

4 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。

5 interventions   

n.介入，干涉，干预( intervention的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Economic analysis of government interventions deserves detailed discussion. 政府对经济的干预应该给予充分的论述。 来自辞典例句
• The judge's frequent interventions made a mockery of justice. 法官的屡屡干预是对正义的践踏。 来自互联网

6 attainment   

n.达到，到达；［常pl.］成就，造诣

参考例句：

• We congratulated her upon her attainment to so great an age.我们祝贺她高寿。
• The attainment of the success is not easy.成功的取得并不容易。

7 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

8 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

9 indicators   

（仪器上显示温度、压力、耗油量等的）指针( indicator的名词复数 )； 指示物； （车辆上的）转弯指示灯； 指示信号

参考例句：

• The economic indicators are better than expected. 经济指标比预期的好。
• It is still difficult to develop indicators for many concepts used in social science. 为社会科学领域的许多概念确立一个指标仍然很难。

10 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

11 overdone   

v.做得过分( overdo的过去分词 )；太夸张；把…煮得太久；（工作等）过度

参考例句：

• The lust of men must not be overdone. 人们的欲望不该过分。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The joke is overdone. 玩笑开得过火。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

13 dropout   

n.退学的学生；退学；退出者

参考例句：

• There is a high dropout rate from some college courses.有些大学课程的退出率很高。
• In the long haul,she'll regret having been a school dropout.她终归会后悔不该中途辍学。

14 minors   

n.未成年人( minor的名词复数 )；副修科目；小公司；[逻辑学]小前提v.[主美国英语]副修，选修，兼修( minor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors. 法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had three minors this semester. 这学期他有三门副修科目。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

16 implicit   

a.暗示的，含蓄的，不明晰的，绝对的

参考例句：

• A soldier must give implicit obedience to his officers. 士兵必须绝对服从他的长官。
• Her silence gave implicit consent. 她的沉默表示默许。

17 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

18 fore   

adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部

参考例句：

• Your seat is in the fore part of the aircraft.你的座位在飞机的前部。
• I have the gift of fore knowledge.我能够未卜先知。

19 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

20 incarceration   

n.监禁，禁闭；钳闭

参考例句：

• He hadn't changed much in his nearly three years of incarceration. 在将近三年的监狱生活中，他变化不大。 来自辞典例句
• Please, please set it free before it bursts from its long incarceration! 请你，请你将这颗心释放出来吧！否则它会因长期的禁闭而爆裂。 来自辞典例句