Minority Students Receive Harsher Punishments

NPR reported today on a new study that finds that "minority students [in K-12] receive much harsher punishment than their white counterparts."

The findings come from a national collection of civil rights data from 2009-10 of more than 72,000 schools serving 85 percent of the nation.

'The sad fact is that minority students across America face much harsher discipline than non-minorities, even within the same school,' Education Secretary Arne Duncan told reporters.

Duncan said some school officials might not have been aware of inconsistencies in how they handle discipline, and he hoped the report would be an eye-opener.