Racial Inequality: School-to-Prison Pipeline
By Elisha Robinson
The policies and practices within a growing number of public schools push our nation’s school children, especially our most-at-risk children, out of classrooms and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems. This pipeline is called The School to Prison Pipeline or also known as The New Jim Crowe.
Considering this, “Students from two groups—racial minorities and children with disabilities—are disproportionately represented in the school-to-prison pipeline. African-American students, for instance, are 3.5 times more likely than their white classmates to be suspended or expelled, according to a nationwide study by the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. Black children constitute 18 percent of students, but they account for 46 percent of those suspended more than once.”
Certainly the “educational quality of life” for a young person diminishes when the wrong policies and practices are placed in schools- when their education diminishes we define these contradictions and the conditions they create as social problems. Without reservation, changing the policies and practices alone will not solve this issue.
The fact remains a person has to break the law in society before being incarcerated. So what causes a person to break the law? Peer pressure, drugs or alcohol could play a part, bad attitude; those are some reasons however on the whole the number one reason crimes occur is poverty. Poverty causes more crime than any other reason or reasons put together.
With attention to the increasing poverty rate here in Burlington, census.gov provides data in regards to children living in poverty within the school system between the ages of 5 and 17. The census reported in 2007 the Burlington Iowa student population was 5230 with 921 students living at poverty levels. Jumping ahead to 2011 the student population declined by almost 300 yet the student poverty level rose by over 200. As of November 2011 the total number of students who live within the poverty guidelines is 1,131. Furthermore, while Burlington almost holds the state average for high school graduates it only holds 16.9% in students who attain a Bachelor’s degree or higher compared to the state average of 24.5%. The number of black owned firms in 2007 was a miserable 0.8% and Hispanics 0.9%. On a brighter note, Women owned firms actually exceeded the state average. Poverty is primarily the main cause of crime. In 2010 Burlington saw 252 offenses in burglary, 250 drug/narcotic violations, 511 vandalism offenses and 185 simple assaults. There is a rising trend in the City of Burlington. These numbers I have shown you indicate there is not only a poverty problem there is also a correlating crime problem coupled with a brain drain thus leading to a social problem.
Notably, the editors of Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, “Vital Signs”, collected statistics on the rank of blacks and whites; the pertinent ones are listed below:
*The chance that a black man in the US will spend some time in a state or federal prison during his lifetime: 28.5%.
* The chance that a white man will spend some time in a state or federal prison during his lifetime: 2.5%.
*The chance that a black woman in the US will spend some time in a state or federal prison during her lifetime: 3.6%.
*The chance that a white woman will spend some time in a state or federal prison during her lifetime: 0.5%.
Total number of doctorates awarded in 1996 in the fields of geometry, logic, number theory, topology, computing theory, astronomy, astrophysics, acoustics, nuclear chemistry, theoretical chemistry, atmospheric physics and chemistry, meteorology, geology, geochemistry, paleontology, mineralogy, geomorphology, hydrology, oceanography, marine science, engineering physics, engineering science, nuclear engineering, ocean engineering, petroleum engineering, systems engineering, biophysics, plant genetics, bacteriology, endocrinology and zoology: 1,605…..
*Total number of doctorates awarded to blacks in these fields: 0. (3-4)
The research goes on to say in the analysis that the Black middle class ($25,000-$49,999) is not the top developing sector of the Black population, but it is the upper class that has experienced the highest increase since 1965 (2).
In short, the creation of the School to Prison Pipeline stems from the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. It’s understood to operate at all levels of US government (federal, state, county, city and school district), and both directly and indirectly. “
At the same time, the media is considered a part of the government as journalists and broadcasters have rules and regulations placed on them by institutions as to what can be said and cannot be said. They also have to sell themselves to the public, much like politicians. Just a few facts on the media:
*Currently, six major companies control most of the media in our country. The FCC could decide to relax media ownership rules, which would allow further consolidation and put decisions about what kinds of programming and news Americans receive in even fewer hands.
*Three media giants own all of the cable news networks. Comcast and Time Warner serve about 35 percent of cable households.
*The Telecommunications Act of 1996 lifted ownership limits for radio stations, leading to incredible consolidation of radio station ownership. One company alone, Clear Channel Inc., owns 850 radio stations across the country. Before the change, a company could not own more than 40 stations nationwide.
*Several large stations owned by Clear Channel briefly banned the music of the Dixie Chicks because of their critical comments about then-President George W. Bush. The company syndicates both Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura to hundreds of stations nationwide. Stations owned by Infinity have also banned certain musicians based on their political views.
*Major corporations, including News Corp., Comcast-NBC Universal, Time Warner, the New York Times, Disney, and Gannett dominate the top Internet news sites.
To their corporate owners, media outlets do not exist to promote the public interest; they exist to make profits.
*The entertainment industry – television, motion picture companies, music – has put $283.5 million into federal elections since 1990; for three years (2008-10) the industry has spent roughly that much again on lobbying.
*With their political clout, media giants have the ability to make their case heard at the FCC, the White House and Capitol Hill. The concerns of average citizens do not get the same attention from key policymakers.
So what does the media portray that encourages the existence of this problem? More than often the media reports youth in a negative light. Main stream media(MSM) tends to focus on low level crime and labels youth which is always downbeat. Most stories magnify people of color and make generalizations of the youth population. The television show C.O.P.S. has glorified police officers while making young black males look rowdy and distrustful. Black reality TV meticulously portrays black women in an alarming fashion. Shows such as “Basketball Wives” and “Bad Girls” depict black women as uncivilized and cross. . But let’s get one thing clear- news reports and television shows are not representative of the youth in general.
For example, on February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin, a 17-year old unarmed young man was shot to death by George Zimmerman, a 28-year old multi-racial Hispanic American and appointed neighborhood watch coordinator. Zimmerman had called 911 at the time he was watching Trayvon and stated, “This guy looks like he’s up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about” and “looking at all the houses.” The dispatcher told Mr. Zimmerman to get back into his car and wait for the police to arrive however Mr. Zimmerman did not follow orders and claims Trayvon attacked him thus shooting him in the chest at point blank range. The only thing found on Trayvon was a bag of skittles and an iced tea drink. Trayvon was wearing a hoodie, which is common apparel for most youth however because of the color of his skin he was profiled as a suspicious looking thug even though Trayvon was a temporary resident of the gated community.
In essence, you can count on the national news to portray minorities as ruthless, bad, disorderly people and regional news to cover positive stories associated with extraordinarily skilled youth rather than regular adolescents. The media’s interpretation of minorities as angry, uncouth, rough-edged people shapes our beliefs, attitudes, values and practices. Journalists, news reporters and commentators play a role in how our perceptions are shaped because they have to sell themselves to the public. Our beliefs try to convince us of certain stereotypes however our truth knows better; this creates a doubtful negative attitude. The number one rule journalists live by is “if it bleeds it leads”. Once again, they have to sell themselves to the public. Not all journalists are bad however most mainstream journalists have to conform to rules that are placed on them by the institution they are employed at so be cautious of what you hear and read.
Without exception mainstream media has corrupted our thoughts as well as our perceptions. We’re not analyzing the messages we hear and watch though programs and news. It’s as if we have become programmed. We have become societal sleepwalkers. Our attitudes, values and practices have been altered and we have become what our environment has taught us which is to not question because quite possibly we don’t have the communication skills or the courage to do so.
Mr. Heath, a Fort Madison Penitentiary inmate serving a life sentence knows this all too well as he is a product of his environment. He explained how he felt as if society were against him and he felt as if he had no place within society. “I believe this is where my demise began,” he said. “Even though my mother, with a heart the size of Mount Saint Helens and a hug that could dissolve any polar ice cap; tried to teach me different.” He went on to talk about the birth of his first son at the ripe age of 14 and by 16 his second son was born. During this time he was also battling demons; his initiation into a gang was the first battle. “I could hear myself say, you want better than this, you are better than this, and this is not what you want for your life,” as he retrospectively collected his thoughts. He was on the road to self destruction and by the age of 17 he was implicated in a homicide, at 18 charged with homicide and by 19 he sat in a cell ; life without the possibility of parole. Even if Mr. Heath were to be released from prison, as a felon, he would face tremendous obstacles. Millions of disfranchised felons are labeled the moment they walk out of prison’s gates; if they walk out at all. Time spent behind bars has forced him to think about the past and how his attitude, values and way of life landed him where he is today.
To summarize, he stated:
“In that cell, time slowed down and my inner voice was thunderous…I began to realize what I was taught was the cause of my reaction. I conclude I can teach myself the things I need to move my life in a positive direction, which supports my dreams, goals, and the society in which I live…I have found that you must define what you believe in and live your life accordingly, with the understanding that as you learn more your beliefs will grow and you may have to modify it from time to time. I painfully came to realize that if I cannot communicate my thoughts to others or understanding what they are saying to me, then nothing will be achieved. I’ve also concluded that I must have goals and I must write down my ideals in an organized way so that if there are any problems in regards to knowledge on my part I could pin point it and solve it…”
He emphasized his environment was a major contributing factor in his poor childhood development. He was told to respect authority because authority holds wisdom and that wisdom comes from education and experience. He thought the President, generals and congressmen displayed the height of wisdom and the highest of education and experience. This vision was shattered as a child when he began to lose trust with police and many other authority figures that once held meaning to him. After seeing tragic events unfold as a child, losing trust in those he had counted on, hurt by corruption, used by women for sex and tedious tasks, he told himself people are not to be trusted because if they can gain even just a little more than what they had before at his expense then he was spent. The loss of trust within authority left a void in his life for 16 years and by then he felt he couldn’t go back; he was in too deep- his beliefs too hard.
He now realizes that he was not conscious of his values back then as he is now however with an environment that supports the elements of change along with teaching the art of communication he has focused his efforts on destroying the history of self made illusions. School was not a priority to him if any although he wanted to be a general in the military and in the back of his mind he still longs to be. He’s taken an interest in studying finances, how to manage money and he works at a hospice along with being a kitchen aide.
I wonder, if the school system could have caught him beforehand. I have to believe that it could have saved him and should have saved him. Schools have an obligation to teach the art of communication, not to police communication. They have an obligation to teach the youth about what it means to have values and to raise their conscious level in accordance to those values. Schools have an obligation to destroy self made illusions withheld inside because schools are educators. Not only are they supposed to teach math- they’re supposed to teach mental awareness, planning and setting goals, communication skills and financial management. Instead they push out low-performing students by enforcing zero-tolerance policies that routinely inflict relentless and harsh punishment of situations.
Altogether the path from school to prison has what the ACLU (The American Civil Liberties Union) calls 5 “stops”. The first stop rests within the failing schools. The ACLU states, “Inadequate resources, overcrowded classrooms, a lack of qualified teachers, insufficient funding for counselors, special education services, even text books lock students into second-rate educational environments.”
The second step in the path from school to prison lies within existing polices which include zero-tolerance of which students have been expelled for bringing nail clippers to school. Suspension rates have increased and impacts children of color the most. This leaves children unsupervised and without constructive activities. They fall behind on their coursework which leads to disengagement and drop-outs. These factors also boost the likelihood of court involvement. Students with special needs have experienced a lack of due process which has increasingly become an issue.
The third step is the policing of school hallways. Schools rely on the police rather than teachers and administrators to maintain discipline. They mount more and more dependence on police and even go to lengths of employing officers to patrol hallways and cafeterias when they carry little to no training in working with the youth. The ACLU states, “…school based arrests are the quickest route from the classroom to the jailhouse and emphasizes the criminalization of school children.”
The fourth step is to send students who have been suspended or expelled to disciplinary alternative schools. These are also known as shadow systems because they are sometimes run by private, for-profit companies. Essentially this means they are not held responsible for not preparing students for meaningful education or setting any type of standards.
The fifth and final step is the court involvement and juvenile detention. “Up to 80% of court-involved children do not have lawyers in one state,” the ACLU sited. “Minor offenses could land a student in secured detention if they violate boilerplate probation conditions which prohibit them from activities like missing school or disobeying teachers.”
Given these points, “Students of color—who are far more likely than their white peers to be suspended, expelled, or arrested for the same kind of conduct at school —and those with disabilities are particularly likely to travel down this pipeline.” Reversing the journey is extremely difficult as students face numerous barriers to re-enter traditional schools. Consequently, a substantial amount of these students never graduate from high school.
Now that we know a little about how prevailing norms, attitudes and policies help create this problem I would like to share my values opinion on this issue. I was raised in a Christian home. My parents were Sunday school teachers for a brief period of my childhood. I have been blessed to grow up with both parents in the home. My father always worked hard to support our family as did my mother. My values, I believe, come from the environment I was raised in. I’m a family oriented person and although I am a single parent my family makes up for my lost “other half”. I believe that as long as children know and feel they are loved and supported they have a better chance at staying in school and away from prison. I believe that children want discipline and rules because it shows that someone actually cares about their well being. In regards to the school-to-prison pipeline, my opinion rests with the knowledge that it is one of the most important issues in our society today. My 13 year-old daughter has told me many stories about kids that are being singled out, punished on a daily basis for minor infractions such as picking up a pencil after accidently dropping it, yawning, not having their cell phone on mute even if it vibrates, looking at the clock, answering an innocent question from a classmate, the list goes on and on and it’s not right. Schools encourage the problem by punishing minorities while letting the offenses committed by non-minorities slide by. There’s a sharp hint of animosity the students carry toward the faculty whom allows this to continue. Needless to say, the school knows me by name as I am actively involved her life and I am always ready to go into the school to address unfair treatment. I believe it’s important to not only open up a dialogue with the school system but to actually solve the issue and not just complain about it. Be an advocate for your child!
In this situation, Mr. Heath introduced me to a unique life improvement program with essential key steps that enlighten the individual in the process of controlling thoughts to solve this problem. Along with this becoming a better person, having a purposeful life and encompassing positive relationships is a part of the program. He states, “It is absolutely vital that we picture what we want out of life in order to get excited about what it will take to get there and what we will and will not sacrifice for it. “ The program is called, “The Process”. The Oxford American Dictionary characterizes process as, “a course of action or proceeding.”He feels this program would be beneficial to at-risk children in traditional schools and would deter them from entering the school to prison pipeline. He points to the fact that within the last thirty-five years, the United States has experienced a growth in its incarceration population. From this reality some questions are born. Why? How can we stop it? And how can we reverse it? What does this do to the American dream? Our youth have become both the victim and the accused. The processes will diagnose the disease and treat it with the most inventive programs. Since problems start within our mind this is where the diagnosis takes place. The diagnosis is perceptional ignorance. The treatment is the process.
Another possible solution would be to invert or in other words, to turn the problem upside down to solve the issue. To illustrate this concept, we need to critically analyze the school’s that are succeeding. Schools in Finland, Sweden and even here in the U.S. are showing much success with student achievement. Finland schools rank close to the top in reading, math and science. There is no East Asian replica that demands excessive hours of rigorous studying and memorization. In contrast, Finland students have less homework and more creative recreation. Most importantly, Finland has no private schools or universities, no standardized tests, and report cards are “based on individualized grading by each teacher.” Finland schools provide every student with a free student meal, simple access to healthcare, psychological counseling individualized student guidance. Although Finland is a more homogeneous population vs. the U.S. a recent jump in foreign-born residents (doubled in size) in 2010 still did not affect its leadership skills in education. “Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted.” There is an emphasis on prestige in teaching and administration, honest pay, and a great deal of responsibility. There is no place for competition involving teachers and schools; only cooperation. And lastly, choosing a school is distinctly not a big concern. The chauffeur within Finland’s educational policy since the 80’s has been this:
“Every child should have exactly the same opportunity to learn, regardless of family background, income, or geographic location. Education has been seen first and foremost not as a way to produce star performers, but as an instrument to even out social inequality.”
Test results show Finland’s students’ score were so high on the first PISA in 2001 many questioned if there was an error. Finland attacked the social issue of economic inequality head on instead of focusing on racial diversity and successfully reformed their educational system.
A third possible solution would be to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act to restore more power to the states to execute education reform. According to Sioux City’s online Journal, “Iowa’s waiver was rejected because the state Department of Education did not have the authority to reform teacher and principal evaluations. Iowa is the only state to have its waiver rejected.” In response to the district’s one year freeze Iowa Department of Education Director Jason Glass stated, “Glass would like to see a reauthorized bill restore more power to states to execute education reform, do a better job at addressing ways to help students of poverty succeed and change the overall approach to education reform. Glass said the current approach of publicly shaming schools is not working since districts continue to struggle.” I agree with Glass; I feel the power needs placed at a state level as no two states are the same. Each school is different and faces different challenges.
A fourth possible solution would be to bring in a Boys and Girls Club or a similar club. With the help of mentors and a healthy safe environment our community would see a drop in crime along with the betterment of public school environments. If Mr. Heath had a positive role model in his life I wonder if he would be sitting behind bars like he is today. Although this idea sounds good this would be the least feasible in my opinion because it would cost a massive amount of money per month to pay the club in order to have a club and efforts to start a similar club has already been done with no success as community leaders and officials could not put their money where their mouth is.
The last solution to deter youth from the school to prison pipeline would be to stay consistently active in your child’s education and file reports on poor faculty that penalize your child for minor infractions. Attend school meetings, conferences, be engaged every step of the way and let your child know that you have their back and if all else fails home school your child to make sure they get their education.
Remarkably Harvard researchers came out with a study on the correlation between a student’s middle school experience and whether he/she ends ups doing well academically in high school. In this study they stated, “According to a new study of Florida schools by a team of Harvard researchers, a student begins to give up on education well before he/she sets foot in a high school classroom.”
Now that we know there is a correlation between student’s experiences/environment and dropping out we need to look at a solution and a plan in order to fix this problem. I believe that Mr. Heath shared with me the best solution and plan to deter youth away from the pipeline. “The Process” is a 5 step program that covers mental awareness, planning/setting goals, communication skills and financial management. It’s different from other programs because it will diagnosis the disease and treat it with the most inventive programs there are. Given the fact there are activists that are diligently pursuing the reform of zero tolerance policies/No Child Left Behind Act, we need to actually implement a program within traditional public schools to keep up with the evolution of time.
“John Kotter of the Harvard Business School built on Lewin’s three-step model to create a more detailed approach for implementing change.” The first step to take in order to institute the program would be to create a sense of urgency by creating a compelling reason for why change is needed. The second step would be to form a coalition with enough power to lead change. The third step is to create a new vision to direct the change and strategies for achieving the vision. The fourth step to take in creating the program is to communicate the vision throughout the organization. The fifth step involves empowering others to act on the vision by removing barriers to change and encouraging risk taking and creative problem solving. The 6th step is to plan for, create, and reward short-term “wins” that move the organization toward the new vision. The seventh step is to consolidate improvements, reassess changes, and make necessary adjustments in the new programs. And last but not least, reinforce the changes by demonstrating the relationship between new behaviors and organizational success.
I believe a board of members would have to be formed, possibly faculty members or qualified local volunteers would be willing to help out with the beginning stages of the program. They would be to have a shared vision and expectations within the group so that one person is not doing more than the other. The group leader would have to allocate responsibilities and duties. For example, one person is in charge of recruiting qualified volunteers while another person is in charge of setting up appointments for the group. Speaking to the school board about the program and sharing the program with them would be included in the duties. Depending on what the school administration says in regards to such a program being implemented really determines where the program would go from there. If the administration says no there are still other options besides placing the program within the schools.
An after school program could be formed in a youth center type-setting to house the program. In the past, I had contributed to a plan such as this and found out it was extremely difficult to get volunteers because people are so busy and unwilling to sacrifice large amounts of time and effort it takes to establish a program let alone a group. I would be willing to do anything I could do to start up a program such as what Mr. Heath has suggested only if other committed dedicated people were also a part of The Process. The beginning stage of forming a group is extremely difficult because people fall off very quickly. I found I went through a lot of people who said they were committed yet found they were taking on a challenge too big for them at the time. If the right help was available I would do anything and everything in my power to see to it this program was implemented.
Irrefutably the school to prison pipeline is a major problem and something must be done. If a child doesn’t get an education when they need one, and they end up in prison, they will return to their communities without having the right education or properly trained for the job market, which means most likely they will not find a job to pay for their restitution or support their family; meaning they will go back to committing felonies. An incarcerated parent hurts the child, both in education and financially, which has a great effect on society as a whole. A child that has a father incarcerated is significantly more likely than other children to be removed or suspended from school. It’s time we start making a change in our schools and come together as a community to solve issues, become actively involved and not just sit and talk about them over the internet, or at the bar, or hair salon. If communities could come together and let our collective voice be heard The School to Prison Pipeline would be a thing of that past. Our children will thank us for it!
So far, she’s made more than 840. Though she says she could make two a day, she only makes one – but each single dress she makes per day is personalized with careful stitchwork. She hopes that each little girl who receives her dress can take pride in her new garment.
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