美国国家公共电台 NPR Disparities Persist In School Discipline, Says Government Watchdog

 

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Black students and students with disabilities are disproportionately disciplined in America's public schools. That is the conclusion of a sweeping¹ new review by an important government watchdog. And NPR's Cory Turner has more.

CORY TURNER, BYLINE²: The review was done by the Government Accountability Office. GAO researchers found that in the 2013-'14 school year, black children accounted for nearly 40 percent of students suspended from school even though they make up just 15 percent of public school students. Jackie Nowicki led the team of GAO researchers and says these disparities in how children are disciplined were consistent.

JACQUELINE NOWICKI: Regardless of the type of disciplinary action and regardless of the type of public school attended.

TURNER: But this is perhaps the biggest headline from Nowicki's team. For years, some experts have argued that poverty, not race or racial bias³, is the main driver of school discipline disparities. But GAO found black students are disproportionately punished in rich schools and poor schools alike.

NOWICKI: We found that these disparities existed across all school poverty levels. And that is something that I think hasn't really quite been presented in that way before.

TURNER: And this disparity they found starts in preschool. While Nowicki says her team did not explore the role of unconscious bias, she says other research shows it's clearly a factor. GAO's report arrives in the middle of a fiery⁴ debate about discipline in schools. In 2014, the Obama administration issued guidance to schools with a clear message. Big disparities like these violate civil rights law and will not be tolerated, guidance the current education secretary, Betsy DeVos, is now considering pulling back. Cory Turner, NPR News, Washington.

(SOUNDBITE OF DEEP CUT'S "MY EDUCATION")

1 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 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。

4 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。