Resisting the School-to-Prison Pipeline

"Robert was an 11-year-old in 5th grade who, in his rush to get to school on time, put on a dirty pair of pants from the laundry basket. He did not notice that his Boy Scout pocketknife was in one of the pockets until he got to school. He also did not notice that it fell out when he was running in gym class. When the teacher found it and asked whom it belonged to, Robert volunteered that it was his, only to find himself in police custody minutes later. He was arrested, suspended, and transferred to a disciplinary school." ~ Zero Tolerance in Philadelphia report

Our friends at Rethinking Schools have dedicated the latest issue of their magazine to the topic of the school-to-prison pipeline, an alarming trend of policies that, especially among youth of color, push students out of school and facilitate their entering the criminal justice system. (For one overview of the issue, check out the ACLU's "School-to-Prison Pipeline Game."

As the editors of Rethinking Schools magazine say:

"What has come to be called the “school-to-prison pipeline” is turning too many schools into pathways to incarceration rather than opportunity. This trend has extraordinary implications for teachers and education activists. It affects everything from what we teach to how we build community in our classrooms, how we deal with conflicts with and among our students, how we build coalitions, and what demands we see as central to the fight for social justice education."

 The issue includes:

• An interview with author Michelle Alexander about the mass incarceration of people of color;
• An exploration of "zero tolerance" policies and their role in "criminalizing" youth;
• An essay by a teacher who reminds us of the importance of creating safe, compelling classrooms;
• Stories from students & teachers about their experiences;

The entire issue isn't available online (it's a great magazine, so we highly recommend that educators subscribe), but you can read several of the articles and essays here.

This issue is an eye-opening reminder of just how much power our education system has to help or hurt students, of the challenges many of our children face, and of how far we have to go in combating racial oppression.

~ Marsha

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