[January 31, 2025] It’s a sad state of affairs in America when we have increased school student disobedience and crime. The issue driving this is that our education system is clueless about how to stop it. Larry Sand, president of California Teachers Empowerment Network and past school teacher, tells us about how school discipline is declining and what little is being done to fix the problem.
Polls of parents and teachers say the problem is getting worse, not better, after the COVID-19 shutdowns. Students themselves see their learning environment as less safe and less conducive to learning than ever before. As expected, many of the schools tried the Liberal-Progressive solutions first, like giving out less punishment, with predictable results and greater school student disobedience.
“Then, there is the ongoing education establishment assertion that cops in school are not necessary. But, in reality, teachers don’t want them removed. A Heritage Foundation survey found that only 7% of teachers responded affirmatively to the question, “Do you think defunding school resource officers will make schools safer?” – Larry Sand, American Greatness, January 30, 2025
Everyone involved in schools thinks the problems of misbehavior are worsening.
“A North Carolina school district tried to improve discipline by implementing a policy for which it paid a non-profit over $800,000 to help it create. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools had fewer short- and long-term suspensions for the school year and no expulsions, part of a broader shift toward “equitable discipline. Didn’t work. The district reported a higher crime rate than the previous year.”
Of course, parents aren’t too happy about the situation. Some schools use body cameras like police officers do while on duty. This seems to have worked, at least somewhat. Evidence from these cameras is used to make arrests, “and this acts at deterring disruptive behavior…”
An alternative is the “No Excuses” model. This model originated in the 1990s when there was anarchy in urban schools. Things haven’t changed much since then. In the first three days of the school year, kids learn what is expected of them through a special set of lessons. All those techniques used that are successful revolve around instituting clear standards of behavior that are strict and enforced.
“What a concept! Now, if we can just cut out all the touchy-feely, race-obsessed, anti-cop edu-fads and return to basics, we just may have a world-class education system as we once did.” – Larry Sand
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Please read my books:
1. “55 Rules for a Good Life,” on Amazon (link here).
2. “Our Longest Year in Iraq,” on Amazon (link here).
The way I see it, little good is being done to reduce violence that is proven and effective. Most of the “solutions” are radical feminist in origin and will fail, or should I make an observation and say this method is failing now and will continue to fail.
Plato, good points and I think any one with a lick of common sense agrees.
….. and we expect more from students when their parents are enabling their children? I would think schools are wasting their energy on a problem where they are only a small part of the problem. Plus, in some racial communities, violence is part of their culture. Need I identythem? Every one knows but its still PC not to do so or be prepared to be cancei.
I’m glad my kids don’t go to public schools. And private schools are only marginally better.
Sir, thanks for alerting us to Larry Sand and his look at our failing schools.
Melissa, indeed, that is what Gen. Satterfield is good at – showing us that there are good leaders in various fields that can be helpful. In this case Larry Sand. I think there should be some serious changes in the concept of primary education. We’ve heard over and over ad nauseam that all we need is more money and schools will get better. Wrong. Then we heard that we needed more teachers who looked like the students – BIPOC. Wrong again. Then we heard schools should meet the standards set by the states. Wrong again. Schools are failing with all the things “experts” said they needed. Time to fire a bunch of school administrators and teachers and get back to basics. Otherwise, we’ll keep going down the rabbit hole.
Thanks, Teacher from Oklahoma. And welcome aboard.
Exactly right. Too many teachers and their administrators are full woke and it’s going to take a long time to show them that their way of thinking is a gross failure.
I see nothing any more that surprises me in our failing schools. Let them fail.
Our schools have become a Petri dish of Progressive Ideology and look where it got us. And they are doubling down on those failures.
As a High School teacher, I approve this message by Larry Sand. We have far too many liberal-progress teachers who failed to learn that kids need and thrive in an environment of realistic and proper discipline. They love structure. They like seeing the rules applied EQUALLY instead of based on race, like we have now in schools. Kids know when something is wrong and our schools have perpetuated discrimination against white and Asian kids long enough. No wonder why there’s an explosion of growth in private schools. I’ll be retiring from public schools in a couple of years if things don’t change, maybe retire this year. Plus, the schools waste far too much money on stupid things like DEI ideology training.
Right! TJ, I hope you finally see public schools turn around sooner rather than later. I know it must be frustrating for you to see your peers teaching in counterproductive ways. Maybe with Donald Trump now putting pressure on the school systems, they will see the light …, but I doubt it. Defund schools and see which survive.
Great commentary today!!!!!! Schools aren’t experimental factories.
Read more in Gen. Doug Satterfield’s book “55 Rules for a Good Life.”
https://www.amazon.com/55-Rules-Good-Life-Responsibility/dp/1737915529/
In fact, buy a dozen and give the books to high school kids. They’ll learn alot.
Wow, great discussion. My kids are being homeschooled and are academically far superior to their public school peers and are not a discipline problem.