Stop Hitting Kids, Improve Texas Schools

Lost in the debate about education reform is the undeniable fact that the public education system in the United States is one of the most violent in the world.

Despite overblown media reports about school shootings and daily exaggerations about youth crime, it is not the students who are perpetrating the majority of this violence. We’re talking about violence initiated by the teachers and administrators that we trust to safeguard our children’s education. Teaching is one of the most admirable professions -- which is why it’s a shame that this profession is muddied by one of America’s darker and more insidious legal practices – corporal punishment.

Of the 20 states that legally employ corporal punishment, Texas hits the most students every year -- nearly 50,000 during the 2005-2006 school year, according to the latest available statistics. In fact, administrators and teachers in Texas legally hit more students every year than the rest of Europe combined. That could change, though, if a bill to end corporal punishment at Texas schools passes this year.

According to his website, “education reform has been a top priority” for Texas Governor Rick Perry for his entire political career. He places particular emphasis on “increasing the emphasis on core subject areas like math, reading and science.”

I am pleased to hear that, because if it’s true, then Governor Perry will be eager to sign HB 916, a bill sponsored by Rep. Alma Allen that would ban corporal punishment in the state of Texas. Rarely do we find simple solutions to complex social problems like our declining system of education, but ending corporal punishment, in addition to making Texas schoolchildren safer, would be an easy way to improve science and math scores. It would also lower the dropout and crime rate.

The list of research goes on: A 1992 study done at the University of New Hampshire concluded that corporal punishment “is inversely related to educational achievement.” Despite a widely held perception, paddling increases violence against teachers and drop-out rates and decreases academic performance. Take a look at these undeniable and comprehensive reports assembled by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union.

The evidence is there for anyone who wants to take the time to look at it. We know that corporal punishment is harming our education system and putting us at a disadvantage compared to the rest of the world. It’s time to end this practice. If a state like Texas, where corporal punishment is a respected tradition, can be encouraged to rid itself of this awful practice, then the rest of the states will fall like dominoes.

Please sign the Change.org petition, put together by my colleague Paula Flowe of The Hitting Stops Here and the Coalition Against School Paddling, and encourage Governor Perry, along with the Texas House of Representatives to sign HB 916 and get rid of the institutionalized beating of schoolchildren.