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: CORRELATION BETWEEN HIGH RATES OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN PUBLIC
SCHOOLS
: AND SOCIAL PATHOLOGIES
: By John Guthrow
: December 2002
:
: INTRODUCTION
:
: The purpose of this study is to determine whether there
is a
: correlation between the use of corporal punishment in public
schools
: and larger societal outcomes. In other words, it seeks the
answer to
: questions such as: Do states that use corporal punishment in
public
: schools have higher or lower test scores, crime rates, and
poverty
: rates relative to other states? Is there a difference in
macro-level
: societal outcomes between states that paddle school children
and those
: that do not? Or is there no difference at all? These questions
have not
: received much attention in sociology literature, and this study
is
: meant to pose these questions, to analyze sociological data,
and to
: provide rudimentary answers to the questions such as those
raised
: above.
:
: As of this writing, corporal punishment in schools is
still
: legal in twenty-two states in the United States. While corporal
: punishment in schools used to be common and widely accepted in
schools
: across the U.S., it has become increasingly controversial.
Those
: opposed to paddling claim that it creates a violent, negative
: educational environment and produces feelings of anger,
anxiety,
: humiliation, and aggression in children who are victims of
corporal
: punishment. Because of this controversy, many schools districts
and
: individual schools within states that allow paddling have
nevertheless
: banned the practice, joining those twenty-eight states that
have banned
: it altogether.
:
: Those who defend paddling in those places where it is
still
: used often claim that it is a necessary tool to maintain
discipline
: among increasingly out-of-control children. In short, they
claim that
: it works and that it produces an educational environment
conducive to
: learning. Many cite Biblical verses which seemingly encourage
the
: physical punishment of children, and many claim that corporal
: punishment was used against them as children and they turned
out well.
: And paddling proponents also point to states that have banned
paddling
: as examples of places where teachers do not have control of the
: classroom anymore and where the educational environment suffers
: accordingly.
:
: Since Americans increasingly view education as one of
the most
: important foundations of society and a strong economy, the
question of
: what kinds of educational environments really work and which
ones do
: not has never been more important. Since many states have
banned
: corporal punishment in schools and many others have not and
still allow
: it, it is possible to study in a fairly scientific way whether
one
: approach to education works better than the other. In short,
the
: opportunity exists for a controlled experiment, in which it is
possible
: to study whether those states that still paddle children do
better or
: worse, in the classroom and in other areas of society, than
those
: states that do not.
:
: If the claims of those who defend paddling are true, and
: corporal punishment truly does produce an educational
environment more
: conducive to learning, then one would expect, for example,
better test
: scores and graduation rates in states that paddle children
compared
: with states that do not And if the schools are better in
paddling
: states, and to the extent that good schools produce a strong
economy
: and society, one would also expect, in general, a stronger
economy,
: less poverty, healthier citizens, etc.
:
: This study tries to test that theory by objectively
comparing
: paddling states and non-paddling states in various sociological
: categories, including test scores and graduation rates, poverty
rates
: and crime rates, and so forth. By comparing the results from
paddling
: states versus non-paddling states, it is possible to see
whether there
: is a correlation, or not, between school paddling and larger
societal
: outcomes. Does paddling produce a better educational
environment and a
: more orderly, successful society? Or not? Do non-paddling
states
: perform better than paddling states in education and other
categories?
: Or is there no correlation at all? Do paddling states and
non-paddling
: perform at roughly equal levels in the classroom and in other
areas?
: This study seeks the answer to these questions.
:
:
: METHODS
:
: In order to determine whether there is a correlation
between
: corporal punishment in schools and macro-level societal
outcomes, two
: sets of data were compared and analyzed. The first is the
United States
: Department of Education's 1998 Elementary and Secondary School
Civil
: Rights Compliance Report, which tracks the use of corporal
punishment
: in public schools and, specifically, provides the number of
incidents
: of corporal punishment in each state in which it is legal for
the
: 1997-98 school year.
:
: The second set of data studied were various sociological
: categories from Congressional Quarterly's State Fact Finder
2002. This
: publication analyzes data relating to the economy, crime,
education,
: health care, and other categories for the fifty states in the
United
: States. The data in the State Fact Finder 2002 are themselves
taken
: from many different sources ---state governments, various
departments
: and bureaus of the federal government, including the Census
Bureau and
: the Department of Justice, to name a couple. The specific
purpose of
: the State Fact Finder 2002 itself is to compile data relating
to many
: different subject areas and to rank the states in various
specific
: categories. For example, the State Fact Finder 2002 lists and
ranks the
: states by murder rate, from highest murder rate to lowest
murder rate.
: It also lists and ranks the states by graduation rate, best to
worse.
: Etc. In short, the State Fact Finder 2002 allows readers and
: researchers to compare the states in various categories to see
which
: states are performing well in a particular category, relative
to the
: other states, which states are performing poorly, and which
states are
: about average.
:
: Comparing these two sets of data ---the list of states
which
: use corporal punishment in schools and also the various
rankings of the
: states in different sociological categories relating to crime,
: education, the economy, etc ---provides a mechanism for
analyzing
: whether there is in fact a correlation between corporal
punishment in
: schools and larger societal outcomes. For example, if one
compares the
: state rankings for high school graduation rates with the list
of states
: that use corporal punishment in schools, one can see whether
there is a
: correlation between the two lists. For the purposes of this
study, a
: "correlation" is defined as simply a disproportionate number of
: paddling states at one end or the other of the rankings of each
: category.
:
: One can define "disproportionate" in fairly specific
terms.
: There were, at the time the data in this study were collected,
: twenty-three states in the United States that allow corporal
punishment
: in public schools. Twenty-three states represent 46% of the
states in
: the United States. If there were no correlation between
corporal
: punishment in public schools and larger societal outcomes, one
would
: expect an even distribution of paddling and non-paddling states
within
: each percentile of each category. In other words, within any
random
: sample of ten states, one would expect 4.6 paddling states and
5.4
: non-paddling states to appear. The "best ten" states in terms
of the
: graduation rate, for example, would contain 4.6 paddling states
and 5.4
: non-paddling states. (In real terms, of course, that translates
into 4
: to 5 paddling states and 5 to 6 non-paddling states, but
statistically,
: 4.6 and 5.4 are the expected numbers.) The "worst ten" states
would
: also contain 4.6 paddling states and 5.4 non-paddling states.
And so
: would the second tier (spots 11-20), the middle tier (spots
21-30), and
: the fourth tier (spots 31-40). Again, this would be the case in
the
: theoretical scenario in which there was absolutely no
correlation
: between corporal punishment in public schools and larger
societal
: outcomes.
:
: If there is a correlation between corporal punishment in
: schools and larger societal outcomes, then one would expect an
uneven
: distribution of paddling and non-paddling states within each
percentile
: of each category. In other words, within any random sample of
ten
: states, one would expect either significantly more or
significantly
: fewer than 4.6 paddling states to appear in any given
sociological
: category and an inversely proportional number of non-paddling
states.
: For example, the "best ten" states in terms of the graduation
rate
: might include 2 paddling states (instead of 4 to 5) and 8
non-paddling
: states (instead of 5 to 6). Or visa versa, i.e., the "best ten"
states
: might include 6 paddling states (instead of 4 to 5) and 4
non-paddling
: states (instead of 5 to 6). Either scenario would represent, by
: definition, a disproportionate representation within the
sample. And
: this logic applies to each tier of ten states ---the "best
ten," as
: well as the second tier, third tier, fourth tier, and the
"worst ten"
: ---for any given sociological category, whether the murder rate
or the
: graduation rate or any number of other categories.
:
: This study examines thirteen sociological categories and
: applies the analytical logic described above to determine
whether there
: is in fact a correlation between states that use corporal
punishment in
: schools and larger societal outcomes. Specifically, the study
targets
: the "best ten" states and the "worst ten" states in each
sociological
: category to determine whether there is an even or uneven
distribution
: of paddling and non-paddling states. In other words, the study
: examines, for example, whether a disproportionate number of
paddling or
: non-paddling states appear among those states with the highest
murder
: rates, and also the lowest murder rates, or whether there is an
even
: distribution of paddling and non-paddling states in one or both
tiers.
: By definition, of course, if there are a disproportionate
number of
: paddling states in a given category, there is an inversely
: disproportionate number of non-paddling states. In other words
(as
: described above), if there are 8 paddling states in a given
tier, there
: are, by definition, 2 non-paddling states in the same tier.
:
: The thirteen categories studied a the murder rate,
the
: incarceration rate, the condition of children index, the
average
: proficiency in math for 8th graders, the high school completion
rate,
: the percentage of the population over 25 with a high school
diploma,
: state and local education spending, spending per pupil, the
percentage
: of the population in poverty, the percentage of children in
poverty,
: the percentage of births to unwed mothers, state health
rankings, and
: the death rate. The results appear on the following pages.
:
:
: RESULTS
:
: Murder Rate (highest):
:
: Of the states with the ten highest murder rates in the
United
: States, educators paddle children in eight of them.
:
: Those eight paddling states are. in order by murder
rate:
: Louisiana, which has the highest murder rate in the nation (6th
in the
: nation by percentage of students struck by educators);
Mississippi,
: which has the 2nd highest murder rate in the nation (1st by
percentage
: of students struck by educators); Georgia. which has the 4th
highest
: murder rate (7th in the nation by percentage of students struck
by
: educators); Alabama and New Mexico, tied with the 5th highest
murder
: rate in the nation (3rd and 10th, respectively, by percentage
of
: students struck by educators); Tennessee, which has the 7th
highest
: murder rate (4th by percentage of students struck by
educators); and
: North Carolina and Arizona, which are tied with the 9th highest
murder
: rate in the nation (12th and 18th, respectively, by percentage
of
: students struck by educators). The two non-paddling states a
: Maryland, which has the 4th highest murder rate; and Illinois,
which is
: tied with Tennessee with the 7th highest murder rate.
:
: Murder Rate (lowest):
:
: Of the states with the ten lowest murder rates in the
nation,
: educators paddle children in one of them.
:
: That paddling state is Idaho, which has the 3rd lowest
murder
: rate (18th by percentage of students hit).
:
: The nine non-paddling states a North Dakota, which
has the
: lowest murder rate in the nation; South Dakota, which has the
2nd
: lowest murder rate; Maine, which is tied with Idaho with the
3rd lowest
: murder rate; Vermont, with the 5th lowest murder rate; Iowa,
with the
: 6th lowest murder rate; New Hampshire, with the 7th lowest
murder rate;
: Montana, with the 8th lowest murder rate; Utah, which has the
9th
: lowest murder rate; and Oregon and Massachusetts, which are
tied with
: the 10th lowest murder rate.
:
: Incarceration Rate (highest):
:
: Of the ten states with the highest percentage of the
population
: in prison, educators paddle children in nine of them.
:
: Those states are, in order by incarceration rate:
Louisiana,
: which has the highest incarceration rate in the nation (6th by
: percentage of students hit); Texas, which has the 2nd highest
: incarceration rate (8th by percentage of students hit);
Mississippi,
: which has the 3rd highest incarceration rate (1st by percentage
of
: students hit); Oklahoma, which has the 4th highest
incarceration rate
: (5th by percentage of students hit); Georgia, which has the 5th
highest
: incarceration rate (7th by percentage of students hit);
Alabama, which
: has the 6th highest incarceration rate (3rd by percentage of
students
: hit); South Carolina, which has the 7th highest incarceration
rate
: (11th by percentage of students hit); Arizona, which has the
9th
: highest incarceration rate (18th by percentage of students
hit); and
: Delaware, which has the 10th highest incarceration rate (16th
by
: percentage of students hit).
:
: The non-paddling state is: Nevada, which has the 9th
highest
: incarceration rate.
:
: Incarceration Rate (lowest):
:
: Of the ten states with the lowest percentage of the
population
: in prison, educators do not paddle children in any of them.
:
: Those non-paddling states a Minnesota, which has the
lowest
: incarceration rate in the nation; Maine, which has the 2nd
lowest
: incarceration rate; North Dakota, which has the 3rd lowest
: incarceration rate; New Hampshire, which has the 4th lowest
: incarceration rate; Rhode Island, which has the 5th lowest
: incarceration rate; West Virginia, which has the 6th lowest
: incarceration rate; Vermont, which has the 7th lowest
incarceration
: rate; Nebraska, which has the 8th lowest incarceration rate;
: Washington, which has the 9th lowest incarceration rate; and
: Massachusetts, which has the 10th lowest incarceration rate.
:
: Condition of Children lndex* (worst):
:
: Of the ten worst states in the United States in which to
raise
: children, as measured by the condition of children index,
educators
: paddle children in all ten of them.
:
: Those states are, in reverse order of the condition of
children
: index (worst to best): Mississippi, which ranks 50th on the
condition
: of children index (1st by percentage of students hit);
Louisiana, which
: ranks 49th on the condition of children index (6th by
percentage of
: students hit); New Mexico, which ranks 48th on the condition of
: children index (10th by percentage of students hit); Arkansas,
which
: ranks 47th on the condition of children index (2nd by
percentage of
: students hit); Alabama, which ranks 46th on the condition of
children
: index (3rd by percentage of students hit); Arizona, which ranks
45th on
: the condition of children index (18th by percentage of students
hit);
: Georgia, which ranks 44th on the condition of children index
(7th by
: percentage of students hit); Tennessee, which ranks 43rd on the
: condition of children index (4th by percentage of students
hit); South
: Carolina, which ranks 42nd on the condition of children index
(11th by
: percentage of students hit); and North Carolina, which ranks
41st on
: the condition of children index (12th by percentage of students
hit).
:
: * The condition of children index measures the overall
: well-being of children in terms of poverty, education, health,
etc.
:
: Condition of Children lndex* (best):
:
: Of the ten best states in the United States in which to
raise
: children, as measured by the condition of children index,
educators do
: not paddle children in any of them.
:
: Those states a New Hampshire, which ranks 1st on the
: condition of children index; Minnesota, which ranks 2nd; Utah,
which
: ranks 3rd; Massachusetts, which ranks 4th; Wisconsin, which
ranks 5th;
: Iowa, which ranks 6th; New Jersey, which ranks 7th; Nebraska,
which
: ranks 8th; Washington, which ranks 9th; and Maine, which ranks
10th.
:
: * The condition of children index measures the overall
: well-being of children in terms of poverty, education, health,
etc.
:
: Average Proficiency in Math --8th grade (worst):
:
: Of the states in the bottom ten percent* in terms of
average
: proficiency in math, educators paddle children in all of them.
:
: These states are, in reverse order of math proficiency:
: Mississippi, which ranks last, 39th out of 39, in average math
: proficiency for 8th graders (1st by percentage of students hit
by
: educators); Louisiana, which ranks 38th out of 39 in average
math
: proficiency (6th by percentage of students hit by educators);
New
: Mexico, which ranks 37th out of 39 in math proficiency (10th by
: percentage of students hit); and Arkansas, which ranks 36th out
of 39
: in math proficiency (2nd by percentage of students hit).
:
: * Note: Only 39 states submitted data for this category;
: therefore, rather than the worst ten states, the lowest ten
percent of
: states are evaluated. For 39 states, ten percent represents
: approximately 4 positions. Thus, the worst four states (36th to
39th in
: math proficiency) are evaluated. -
:
: Average Proficiency in Math --8th grade (best):
:
: Of the states in the top ten percent* in terms of
average
: proficiency in math, educators paddle children in one of them.
:
: The paddling state is: Kansas, which ranks 2nd out of 39
in
: math proficiency (18th by percentage of students hit). The
non-paddling
: states are, in order of math proficiency: Minnesota, which
ranks 1st
: out of 39 in average math proficiency for 8th graders; Montana,
which
: ranks 2nd out of 39; and Maine, which ranks 3rd out of 39.
:
: * Note: Only 39 states submitted data for this category;
: therefore, rather than the best ten states, the best ten
percent of
: states are evaluated. For 39 states, ten percent represents
: approximately 4 positions. Thus, the best four states (1st to
4th in
: math proficiency) are evaluated.
:
: High School Completion Rate (worst):
:
: Of the states with the ten worst high school completion
rates,
: educators paddle children in seven of them.
:
: Those states are, in reverse order of high school
completion
: rate: Arizona, which has the worst high school completion rate
in the
: nation (18th by percentage of students hit by educators);
Texas, which
: ranks 48th out of 50 by high school completion rate (8th by
percentage
: of students hit by educators); Alabama and Colorado, which ~e
tied at
: 46th out of 50 by high school completion rate (3rd and 18th,
: respectively, by percentage of students hit)~ Lousiana, which
ranks
: 45th (6th by percentage of students hit); Mississippi, which
ranks 43rd
: (1st by percentage of students hit); and New Mexico, which
ranks 41st
: (10th by percentage of students hit). The non-paddling states
a
: Nevada, which ranks 49th out of 50 by high school completion
rate;
: Oregon, which ranks 43rd out of 50 by high school completion
rate; and
: California, which ranks 41st out of 50.
:
: High School Completion Rate (best):
:
: Of the states with the ten best high school completion
rates,
: educators paddle children in one of them.
:
: That paddling state is: Missouri, which has the 4th best
high
: school completion rate in the nation (9th by percentage of
students
: hit). The non-paddling states a Maine, which has the best
high
: school completion rate in the nation; North Dakota, which has
the 2nd
: best high school completion rate; Alaska, which has the 3rd
best rate;
: South Dakota, which has the 5th best rate; Minnesota, which has
the 6th
: best rate; Hawaii, which has the 7th best rate; Connecticut,
which has
: the 8th best rate; Nebraska, which has the 9th best rate; and
Montana,
: which has the 10th best rate.
:
: State and Local Education Spending (worst):
:
: Of the ten worst states in terms of state and local
education
: spending, educators paddle children in seven of them.
:
: Those paddling states are, in reverse order of spending:
: Horida, which ranks last in the nation in state and local
education
: spending (12th by percentage of students hit by educators);
Tennessee,
: which ranks 49th out of 50 in state and local education
spending (4th
: by percentage of students hit); Kentucky, which ranks 47th
(14th by
: percentage of students hit); Arizona, which ranks 45th (18th by
: percentage of students hit); Arkansas, which ranks 43rd (2nd by
: percentage of students hit); Missouri, which ranks 42nd (9th by
: percentage of students hit); and Louisiana, which ranks 41st
(6th by
: percentage of students hit).
:
: The non-paddling states a Hawaii, which ranks 48th in
the
: nation in state and local education spending; New Hampshire,
which
: ranks 46th; and South Dakota, which ranks 44th.
:
: State and Local Education Spending (best):
:
: Of the ten best states in terms of state and local
education
: spending, educators paddle children in one of them.
:
: That paddling state is: Delaware, which ranks 4th in
terms of
: state and local education spending (16th by percentage of
students
: hit). The non-paddling states a Alaska, which ranks 1st in
the
: nation in state and local education spending; Wyoming, which
ranks 2nd;
: Michigan, which ranks 3rd; Vermont, which ranks 5th; New York,
which
: ranks 6th; Wisconsin, which ranks 7th; New Jersey, which ranks
8th;
: Minnesota, which ranks 9th; and Iowa, which ranks 10th.
:
: Spending per Pupil (worst):
:
: Of the ten worst states in terms of spending per pupil,
: educators paddle children in seven of them.
:
: Those states are, in reverse order of spending per
pupil:
: Arizona, which ranks 48th out of 50 in spending per pupil (18th
by
: percentage of students hit); Alabama, which ranks 47th out of
50 in
: spending per pupil (3rd by percentage of students hit);
Mississippi,
: which ranks 46th (1st by percentage of students hit); Colorado,
which
: ranks 45th (18th by percentage of students hit); Arkansas,
which ranks
: 43rd (2nd by percentage of students hit); Tennessee, which
ranks 42nd
: (4th by percentage of students hit); and Idaho, which ranks
41st (18th
: by percentage of students hit).
:
: The non-paddling states a Utah, which ranks 50th out
of 50
: in terms of spending per pupil; North Dakota, which ranks 49th;
and
: Nevada, which ranks 44th.
:
: Spending per Pupil (best):
:
: Of the ten best states in terms of spending per pupil,
: educators paddle children in one of them.
:
: That paddling state is: Delaware, which ranks 6th in
terms of
: spending per pupil (16th by percentage of students hit). The
: non-paddling states a Connecticut, which ranks 1st in the
nation in
: terms of spending per pupil; New York, which ranks 2nd; New
Jersey,
: which ranks 3rd; Alaska, which ranks 4th; Massachusetts, which
ranks
: 5th; Vermont, which ranks 7th; Rhode Island, which ranks 8th;
: Wisconsin, which ranks 9th; and Illinois, which ranks 10th.
:
: Percentage of the Population Over 25 With a High School
Diploma in
: 2000 (worst):
:
: Of the ten worst states in terms of percentage of the
: population over 25 with a high school diploma, educators paddle
: children in seven of them.
:
: Those paddling states are, in reverse order of the
percentage
: of the population over 25 with a high school diploma: Alabama,
which
: ranks 49th out of 50 (3rd by percentage of students hit);
Kentucky,
: which ranks 48th out of 50 (14th by percentage of students
hit); Texas
: and North Carolina, which are tied at 46th (8th and 12th,
respectively,
: by percentage of students hit); Tennessee, which ranks 45th
(4th by
: percentage of students hit); Mississippi, which ranks 44th (1st
by
: percentage of students hit); and Louisiana, which ranks 43rd
(6th by
: percentage of students hit).
:
: The non-paddling states a West Virginia, which ranks
50th
: out of 50 by percentage of the population over 25 with a high
school
: diploma; California, which ranks 42nd; and Rhode Island, which
ranks
: 41st.
:
: Percentage of the Population Over 25 With a High School
Diploma in
: 2000 (best):
:
: Of the ten best states in terms of percentage of the
population
: over 25 with a high school diploma, educators paddle children
in one of
: them.
:
: That paddling state is: Colorado, which ranks 9th (tied
with
: Iowa) by percentage of the population over 25 with a high
school
: diploma (18th by percentage of students hit).
:
: The non-paddling states a South Dakota, which had the
: highest percentage of the population over 25 with a high school
: diploma; Washington, which ranks 2nd; Minnesota, which ranks
3rd; Utah,
: which ranks 4th; Alaska and Nebraska, which are tied at 5th;
Vermont
: and Wyoming, which are tied at 7th, and Iowa (tied with
Colorado) at
: 9th.
:
: Percentage of the Population in Poverty (worst):
:
: Of the ten most impoverished states in the United
States,
: educators paddle children school in seven of them.
:
: Those paddling states are, from highest to lowest
percentage of
: the population in poverty: Arkansas, which ranks 1st by
percentage of
: the population in poverty (2nd by percentage of students hit by
: educators); Louisiana, which ranks 2nd by percentage of the
population
: in poverty (6th by percentage of students hit); New Mexico,
which ranks
: 3rd in poverty (10th by percentage of students hit); Oklahoma,
which
: ranks 5th in poverty (and also 5th by percentage of students
hit);
: Texas, which ranks 6th in poverty (8th by percentage of
students hit);
: Tennessee, which ranks 7th in poverty (4th by percentage of
students
: hit); and Alabama, which ranks 8th in poverty (3rd by
percentage of
: students).
:
: The non-paddling states a Montana, which ranks 4th by
: percentage of the population in poverty; West Virginia, which
ranks
: 9th; and New York, which ranks 10th.
:
: Percentage of the Population in Poverty (best):
:
: Of the ten least impoverished states in the United
States,
: educators paddle children school in two of them.
:
: Those paddling states a Missouri, which ranks 44th by
: percentage of the population in poverty (9th by percentage of
students
: hit); and Colorado, which ranks 43rd by percentage of the
population in
: poverty (18th by percentage of students hit). The non-paddling
states
: a New Hampshire, which has the lowest poverty rate in the
nation;
: Minnesota, which ranks 49th in poverty; Connecticut, which
ranks 48th;
: Iowa, which ranks 47th; Virginia and Maryland, which are tied
at 45th;
: Alaska, which ranks 42nd; and New Jersey, which ranks 41st.
:
: Percentage of Children in Poverty (worst):
:
: Of the ten states in the United States with the highest
: percentage of children in poverty, educators paddle children in
eight
: of them.
:
: Those states are, from highest to lowest percentage of
children
: in poverty: Arkansas, which has the highest child poverty rate
in the
: nation (2nd by percentage of students hit by educators);
Oklahoma,
: which has the 3rd highest child poverty rate in the nation (5th
by
: percentage of students hit); Louisiana, which ranks 4th highest
in
: child poverty (6th by percentage of students hit); New Mexico,
which
: ranks 5th highest in child poverty (10th by percentage of
students
: hit); Texas, which ranks 6th highest in child poverty (8th by
: percentage of students hit); Alabama, which ranks 7th highest
in child
: poverty (3rd by percentage of students hit); Tennessee, which
ranks 8th
: highest in child poverty (4th by percentage of students hit);
and
: Arizona, which ranks 9th highest in child poverty (18th by
percentage
: of students hit).
:
: The non-paddling states a Montana, which ranks 2nd in
child
: poverty; and California, which ranks 10th in child poverty.
:
: Percentage of Children in Poverty (best):
:
: Of the ten states in the United States with the lowest
: percentage of children in poverty, educators paddle children in
two of
: them.
:
: Those paddling states a Missouri, which has the 10th
lowest
: child poverty rate (9th by percentage of students hit); and
Indiana,
: which has the 8th lowest child poverty rate (15th by percentage
of
: students hit).
:
: The non-paddling states a Maryland, which has the
lowest
: child poverty rate in the nation; New Hampshire, which has the
2nd
: lowest child poverty rate; Virginia, which ranks 3rd lowest in
child
: poverty; Maine, which ranks 4th lowest in child poverty;
Minnesota and
: Iowa, which are tied with the 5th lowest child poverty rate;
: Connecticut, which ranks 6th lowest, and Alaska, which ranks
9th
: lowest.
:
: Percentage of Births to Unwed Mothers (worst):
:
: Of the ten states in the United States with the highest
: percentage of births to unwed mothers, educators paddle
children in
: nine of them.
:
: Those states a Mississippi, which has the highest
percentage
: of births to unwed mothers in the nation (also 1st by
percentage of
: students hit); Louisiana, which has the 2nd highest percentage
of
: births to unwed mothers in the nation (6th by percentage of
students
: hit); New Mexico, which has the 3rd highest percentage of
births to
: unwed mothers (10th by percentage of students hit); South
Carolina,
: which has the 4th highest percentage of births to unwed mothers
(11th
: by percentage of students hit); Arizona, which has the 5th
highest
: percentage of births to unwed mothers (18th by percentage of
students
: hit); Florida, which has the 6th highest percentage of births
to unwed
: mothers (12th by percentage of students hit); Delaware, which
has the
: 7th highest percentage of births to unwed mothers (16th by
percentage
: of students hit); and Georgia, which has the 8th highest
percentage of
: births to unwed mothers (7th by percentage of students hit).
:
: The non-paddling state is: New York, with the 9th
highest
: percentage of births to unwed mothers.
:
: Percentage of Births to Unwed Mothers (best):
:
: Of the ten states in the United States with the lowest
: percentage of births to unwed mothers, educators paddle
children in two
: of them.
:
: Those paddling states a Colorado, which ranks 46th by
: percentage of births to unwed mothers (18th by percentage of
students
: hit); and Idaho, which ranks 48th by percentage of births to
unwed
: mothers (tied at 18th by percentage of students hit).
:
: The non-paddling states a Utah, which has the lowest
: percentage of births to unwed mothers in the nation; New
Hampshire,
: which ranks 47th by percentage of births to unwed mothers;
Minnesota,
: which ranks 45th; Massachusetts, which ranks 44th; Nebraska,
which
: ranks 43rd; Iowa, which ranks 42nd; and Washington and Vermont,
tied at
: 40th.
:
: State Health Rankings (worst):
:
: Of the states with the ten worst state health rankings,
: educators paddle children in eight of them.
:
: Those paddling states are, in reverse order by state
health
: ranking: Louisiana, which ranks 50th (the worst in the nation)
by state
: health ranking (6th by percentage of students hit);
Mississippi, which
: ranks 49th out of 50 by state health ranking (1st by percentage
of
: students hit); South Carolina, which ranks 48th by state health
ranking
: (11th by percentage of students hit); Florida, which ranks 46th
by
: state health ranking (12th by percentage of students hit);
Alabama,
: which ranks 45th by state health ranking (3rd by percentage of
students
: hit); Tennessee, which ranks 44th by state health ranking (4th
by
: percentage of students hit); Arkansas, which ranks 42nd by
state health
: ranking (2nd by percentage of students hit); and Oklahoma,
which ranks
: 41st by state health ranking (5th by percentage of students
hit).
:
: The non-paddling states a West Virginia, which ranks
47th by
: state health ranking; and Nevada, which ranks 42nd by state
health
: ranking.
:
: State Health Rankings (best):
:
: Of the states with the ten best state health rankings,
: educators paddle children in one of them.
:
: That paddling state is: Colorado, which ranks 10th by
state
: health ranking (18th by percentage of students hit). The
non-paddling
: states a Minnesota, which ranks 1st by state health ranking;
New
: Hampshire, which ranks 2nd by state health ranking; Utah, which
ranks
: 3rd by state health ranking; Connecticut, which ranks 4th by
state
: health ranking; Massachusetts, which ranks 5th by state health
ranking;
: Vermont, which ranks 6th by state health ranking; Hawaii, which
ranks
: 7th by state health ranking; and Iowa and Maine, which are tied
at 8th
: by state health ranking.
:
: Age-Adjusted Death Rate (worst):
:
: Of the ten states with the highest age-adjusted death
rates,
: educators paddle children in nine of them.
:
: Those states are, in order by age-adjusted death rate,
highest
: to lowest: Mississippi, which has the highest age-adjusted
death rate
: in the nation (also 1st by percentage of students hit);
Tennessee,
: which has the 2nd highest death rate (4th by percentage of
students
: hit); Louisiana, which has the 3rd highest death rate (6th by
: percentage of students hit); Alabama, which has the 4th highest
death
: rate (3rd by percentage of students hit); Kentucky, which has
the 6th
: highest death rate (14th by percentage of students hit);
Georgia, which
: has the 7th highest death rate (also 7th by percentage of
students
: hit); Arkansas, which has the 8th highest death rate (2nd by
percentage
: of students hit); South Carolina, which has the 9th highest
death rate
: (11th by percentage of students hit); and Oklahoma, which has
the 10th
: highest death rate in the nation (5th by percentage of students
hit).
:
: The non-paddling state is: West Virginia, which has the
5th
: highest age-adjusted death rate in the nation.
:
: Age-Adiusted Death Rate (best):
:
: Of the ten states with the lowest age-adjusted death
rates,
: educators paddle children in one of them.
:
: That paddling state is: Colorado, which has the 6th
lowest
: age-adjusted death rate in the nation (18th by percentage of
students
: hit).
:
: The non-paddling states a Hawaii, which has the
lowest
: age-adjusted death rate in the nation; California, which has
the 2nd
: lowest death rate; North Dakota, which has the 3rd lowest death
rate;
: Minnesota, which has the 4th lowest death rate; Utah, which has
the 5th
: lowest death rate; Nebraska, which has the 7th lowest death
rate;
: Connecticut, which has the 8th lowest death rate; Iowa, which
has the
: 9th lowest death rate; and Washington, which has the 10th
lowest death
: rate.
:
: ANALYSIS
:
: There is a clear statistical correlation between
corporal
: punishment in public schools and larger societal outcomes.
: Specifically, there is a strong correlation between those
states that
: use corporal punishment in public schools and negative societal
: outcomes, and there is an equally strong correlation between
those
: states that have banned corporal punishment in public schools
and
: positive societal outcomes. As was stated earlier, if there
were no
: correlation between corporal punishment in public schools and
larger
: societal outcomes, one would expect an even distribution of
paddling
: and non-paddling states within each tier of each category. In
other
: words, within any random sample of ten states, including the
"best ten"
: and the "worst ten," one would expect 4.6 paddling states and
5.4
: non-paddling states to appear.
:
: Clearly that is not the case. The data presented in this
study
: show that there is clearly a correlation between the use of
corporal
: punishment in public schools and negative social pathologies.
In
: category after category, the "worst ten" states are
disproportionately
: represented by paddling states. Instead of 4.6 (or 4 to 5, in
real
: terms) paddling states appearing in the bottom tier, or "worst
ten," of
: each category, we consistently see seven, eight, nine, and even
ten
: paddling states appearing there. And in the top tier ---the
"best ten"
: tier ---we consistently see non-paddling states dominating, and
we see
: zero, one, and, in rare cases, two paddling states appearing.
Again,
: there is clearly a correlation between corporal punishment in
public
: schools and negative social pathologies.
:
: In layman's terms, this correlation means the following:
: non-paddling states like Minnesota have relatively better test
scores,
: lower drop-out rates, lower poverty rates, and better health
care.
: Paddling states like Louisiana have relatively lower test
scores,
: higher drop-out rates, higher poverty rates, and lower-quality
health
: care. Those findings cannot be more clear.
:
: It is important to note that correlation does not equal
: causation. For example, the fact that paddling states have
relatively
: higher death rates obviously does not mean that people are
dying at a
: higher rate directly because of school paddlings. The question
of why
: there is in fact a correlation between corporal punishment in
schools
: and social pathologies is, for the most part, beyond the scope
of this
: study.
:
: Having said that, the following is a very brief
hypothosis as
: to why there may be such a strong correlation between corporal
: punishment in schools and negative social pathologies. ..There
is
: existing research, such as that of Dr. Murray Strauss of the
University
: of New Hampshire, that has linked physical punishment of
children to
: increased aggression and anti-social activity. This research
suggests
: that children who are physically punished experience long-term
feelings
: of anger, fear, humiliation, and withdrawal more than children
who are
: not physically punished. If one accepts these results, it is
not a
: great leap to suggest that children who are punished violently
at
: school on a regular basis probably display aggression and
anti-social
: behavior, and experience feelings of anger, fear, humiliation,
and
: withdrawal, with far greater frequency and intensity than other
: children. Children in this stressful, negative social
environment find
: it relatively more difficult to learn and succeed in
school ---this
: would explain the paddling states' relatively lower test scores
and
: higher dropout rates. And once educational achievement suffers,
other
: aspects of society suffer proportionately. Economic development
: suffers, for example, and in turn, education and health care
suffer.
: This in turn makes it even harder to grow the economy, and so
on. In
: short, the society becomes locked in a cycle of dysfunction.
:
: Of course, many factors account for any given society's
: relative level of success or dysfunction, and the suggestion is
not
: that school paddling in and of itself causes economic
stagnation and
: societal dysfunction. However, to the extent that education is
the
: foundation of any society's success, and to the extent that
school
: paddling has created a hostile, violent, negative educational
: environment for generations of children in states where it is
still
: used, it does not seem unreasonable to suggest that paddling is
in fact
: at least one of the factors that contributes to the overall
societal
: troubles that are clearly so prevalent in those states where
the paddle
: is used.
:
: In any case, it would be beneficial to have more
research
: studying the possible links between violence directed en mass
at
: children and subsequent societal consequences such as low
educational
: achievement and poor economic growth. Again, the technical
question of
: why exactly there is a strong correlation between corporal
punishment
: and social pathologies is beyond the scope of this study.
However, the
: hypothesis described above, along with the undeniable
correlation
: presented in this study between paddling and pathology, should
at the
: very least cause educators to question the effectiveness of
paddling as
: a disciplinary method and to seek alternatives. In short, one
way to be
: certain that paddling is not causing larger societal problems
is simply
: to end the practice of paddling and to employ more positive
: disciplinary methods that have worked so well for so long in
states
: such as Minnesota and Vermont. In an age when educators,
parents, and
: politicians are desperately trying to reduce violence in
schools in
: order to produce a more peaceful and functional society, it
seems a
: no-brainer to begin this endeavor by banning the practice of
: state-sponsored, teacher-inflicted violence towards
schoolchildren.
:
: As was stated earlier, educators in paddling states
often
: defend the practice of paddling by saying that it maintains the
: discipline necessary to create educational achievement and, by
: extension, a successful society. They further claim that in
places
: where paddling has been banned, discipline and educational
achievement
: have suffered. If nothing else, this study shows that that line
of
: reasoning is simply absurd. Clearly, those states which have
banned
: paddling altogether and which employ more positive disciplinary
: measures in the classroom achieve far greater educational
success and
: have created far more functional societies than those states
which
: still use the paddle. That fact is simply irrefutable.
:
:
: t www.nospank.net/toc.htm
: