She has served detention for slouching, humming and failing to look her teachers in the eye.
It's no surprise that former honors student Gianna Boone hates going to Achievement First Crown Heights Middle School.
The East New York Ave. charter school's strict rules have landed the 13-year-old girl in detention nearly every day this year. And her grades have dropped from an A average to a C.
"I get into trouble every time I turn around," said Gianna, an eighth-grader who has served detention at least four times every week since school began in August for humming, talking loudly in the bathroom and using a pen during math class. "It's killing me."
The five-year-old middle school hands out detention based on a system of demerits - which students earn for infractions such as putting their heads on their desks, not facing forward while walking in the hallway or going to the bathroom during class.
With every three demerits, a student must serve 45 minutes of detention.
Some behaviors are considered so bad - rolling their eyes, sucking their teeth or complaining after getting a demerit - students get an immediate 45-minute detention for committing them.
On an average day, one in six kids - about 50 - in the 300-student school stays after class, Achievement First officials said.
...
Charter school advocates say the strict rules maintain order for kids.
But a group of parents with children at Achievement First Crown Heights say the rules are overkill. More than 20 of them met last week at the Crown Heights public library to discuss protesting the policies.
The group agreed to speak out at the school's next board meeting Nov. 22.
"I understand that schools need to have rules, but this is like Rikers Island," said Sarah Dickens, who said she will be at the board meeting to protest her fifth-grade son's daily detention for things like dropping a pen and failing to address a teacher as "ma'am."
"They've gone too far," Dickens said.
Education experts say charter schools with tough rules are a growing trend.
"These schools may seem extreme, but the idea is to create an optimal learning environment," said Chris Wynne, co-author of "Inside Urban Charter Schools."
"If you don't address small problems, things can spiral out of control," said Wynne.
This is very rarely stated, but does anybody notice the race angle to the charter school/discipline issue?
Children of color attending essentially a segregated school that is funded by rich white people, often staffed by mostly white people, and run like Riker's Island.
And this is the education of the future?
This is the change we can believe in?
Nope.
This is Cool Hand Luke.
"Children of color attending essentially a segregated school that is funded by rich white people, often staffed by mostly white people, and run like Riker's Island,"
ReplyDeleteAnd located in rapidly gentrify neighborhoods where the young missionary teachers look an awful lot like the people displacing the long-term residents.
Let's not ignored the underplayed aspect of charter schools as being part of the colonization and gentrification of these neighborhoods, especially when they are invading and taking over public facilities.
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ReplyDeleteThe student may be very bright but a lack of self control and respect will keep her from succeeding. Will this child be able to keep a job if she rolls her eyes when she is asked to perform a simple task? She has the opportunity in this charter school environment to accomplish great things. Instead, she and her mother are fighting to maintain mediocrity and joblessness.
ReplyDelete