School Discipline, Bias in the Justice System, and Political Crowds-For-Hire

The White House is holding a summit today to look at how we deal with kids with behavior problems. Research has shown that taking students out of class—or kicking them out of school—feeds into the so-called “school to prison” pipeline. What’s a better way to deal with troubled kids? And for the first time since 2001, both the House and the Senate have passed new versions of No Child Left Behind. And that means more testing. How much is too much? And how does the Common Core figure into the testing landscape? Then, less than half of teens report having sex, according to a new study out today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But here in L.A., there are more teen pregnancies among poor girls and Latina and black girls. Next, Sandra Bland was pulled over by a Texas trooper for failing to signal a lane change. Would the officer have pulled Ms. Bland over if she were white? Would he have threatened to “drag” her out of her car and “light her up?” Biases undermine every stage of our justice system, from police, to prosecutors, judges, and juries. Last month the Hollywood Reporter published evidence that Donald Trump may have paid actors to cheer him on at a rally. Trump has denied the claim, but he wouldn’t be the only political candidate who has used crowds-for-hire. In fact, it’s a booming business.

Banner Image: A closeup of a steel rule by Ejay