Are behavioral problems in school generally rooted outside of school? Is it possible to greatly reduce these behavioral problems by making changes inside the schools?
I was engaged in a similar type of debate about the behavior of restaurant customers when I waited tables at Denny's and other medium-price full service restaurants during the early 1980's. Under certain circumstances a lot of customers didn't leave a tip, and blacks were less likely to tip than whites. These differences in customer behavior may be rooted in conditions that exist outside of restaurants. However, I found that it was possible to improve the behavior of customers and eliminate the tipping gap between black and white customers by changing conditions inside the restaurant. The popular theory among waiters was that blacks did not feel as obligated to tip due to cultural differences rooted outside of the restaurant. Most waiters considered blacks to be inferior customers who deserved inferior service, and they figured that they could improve their tip income by giving whites better service, especially during a rush period. Some waiters went out of their way to give blacks poor service or refused to serve them at all. It occurred to me that customers who failed to leave a tip might be dissatisfied with the quality of service, and that it might be possible to reduce or eliminate the tipping gap between white and black customers by improving the quality of the service. I tested this hypothesis by recording and later analyzing the following data on every group of customers I served: demographics (number, race, gender), dollar amounts of the bill and the tip, and the times that I ordered and served food prepared in the kitchen. All customers who waited 10 minutes or less for their food paid at least a 15% tip. No one who waited more than 20 minutes left a tip. Blacks were less likely to tip than whites if they had to wait more than 10 minutes and less than 20, and the longer the wait the bigger the tipping gap. My research-based solution to the tipping gap problem was to take steps to ensure that only in a heavy rush period would anyone have to wait more than 10 minutes for their food, and in a heavy rush period no more than 12 minutes. Then I repeated the study of tipping behavior, collecting data on over 3,000 customers over a period of 6 weeks. More than one-third of my customers were black. A total of 7 customers from 3 parties didn't leave a tip (all white). No one who left a tip tipped less than 15% of the bill, and the average tip was about 20% for black, white, and mixed white and black parties. Initially most of the waiters, and later the management, figuring that a dramatic rise in tip income was spoiling the waiters, opposed the new regime. A waiter who refused to serve blacks quit after trying to get me fired. I trained and for several weeks looked after his replacement, an inexperienced white women who for a time referred to blacks as 'niggers.' After about 6 weeks she was nearly my equal as a waiter and provided the same quality of service to blacks as she did to whites. I told her that I was surprised by her seemingly positive attitude toward blacks as customers. In reply she said "Why would I consciously give black people (not niggers) inferior service? If I did that they wouldn't tip as well as the whites. I generally don't like blacks, and maybe that's wrong, but I don't see why that should affect the way I do my job." I advocate a similar approach to improving classroom climate, reducing class and racial antagonisms, and reducing the suspension rate gap between black and white students in the Minneapolis Public Schools: Stay focused on making changes in the educational system that will reduce disparities in education-related outcomes. -Doug Mann MPS Board candidate <http://educationright.tripod.com> In a message dated 5/12/2002 6:08:10 PM Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > I agree with Brandon's comments below to the effect that we need to develop > one-on-one, carefully tailored plans for students with behavioural problems > and with deeper issues which are so often rooted in life outside of school. > > This enters into a complex process, however, and requires a substantial > commitment of staff and other resources. It may well require costly > cooperative programs with various social services organizations (state, > county, city, or NGOs?). > [snip] > > In my opinion, schools are a sorting mechanism, and are becoming more-so, > not less-so. The political climate supports this role for schools, and those > who support schools as educational institutions intimately linked with agencies > dealing with the complexities of life outside the schoolyard are swimming > upstream in a very strong current going the other way. > [snip] _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
