School reform math in Baltimore: Fewer suspensions equals better
results At a time when the underachievement of black boys in
this country can only be described as a national crisis, there
is finally some good news. This fall, Baltimore City Schools
chief executive Andrés Alonso proudly reported that black male
teens in his district are staying in school and graduating in
higher numbers. The announcement made headlines, and for good
reason: It proves that there are successful strategies in
approaching this seemingly intractable problem. We urge other
cities across the country to learn from Baltimore’s creative
approach. So how did they do it? School systems, local
philanthropies, not-for-profit groups, government officials and
others worked together with the singular goal of improving the
academic lives of those who need it most. With help from
community partners such as Open Society Institute-Baltimore, the
city’s schools adopted a graduated system of consequences and
interventions for student misconduct tha