Call to Action- School to Prison Pipeline Paragraphs and Thumbnails
Revised 3 Paragraphs
The school to prison pipeline is a hostile social construct within our schools in which children of minority groups, the vast majority of those affected being BIPOC, are disproportionately targeted for disciplinary measures and treated like problems to be solved rather than children to be taught and nurtured. This system and behavior towards these students pushes them out of the education system and into incarceration and the prison industrial complex. While BIPOC children are the most affected by the school to prison pipeline, the effects also extend to LGBTQ+ students, and those with learning disabilities as well as other minority groups that could be seen as bad students. The institutional racism and bigotry within schools has made this system the norm and caused educators to react differently to these "problem students" due to inherent biases that have been institutionally instilled.
The creation of policies such as "zero tolerance" has given administrators another tool to uphold this system as it demonizes all students present at a fight rather than j
ust the instigators, even if some students were the ones being targeted. Another contributing factor to the school to prison pipeline is the overuse of suspension and expulsion. These punishments are given out almost four times as much to BIPOC students than to any other demographics, taking them out of the classroom for even more time and creating a hostile environment for these children. Additionally, the labelling of certain children as "problem students" encourages harassment and mistreatment of them not only by other students, but by teachers, staff, and administrators as well leading into a downward spiral of further punishing children because they were punished before.
How do we put a stop to this hostile system though? The presence of law enforcement and police officers within schools needs to be either heavily reduced or eliminated entirely and replaced by social workers and counselors to make a safer, more accepting learning environment that focuses on catering to students needs and working with them, not trying to stamp them out. Diversity in both teachers and the content they teach needs to be increased as well. Teach more BIPOC history and culture to empower students and give them confidence in their abilities to contribute, and hire more BIPOC teachers that students can take as role models and better relate to. These BIPOC teachers will also be less inclined to treat those students badly as they, in turn can relate to them. Finally, rather than focusing on punitive punishment measures, schools need to shift towards restorative justice. Restorative justice helps students understand any harm caused and encourages them to learn from it and repair the damage rather than simply punishing it.
Every child deserves a chance to thrive and no child deserves to be treated as they are a criminal, a problem, or a burden to their educators.
Thumbnails
3/30/21- updated thumbnails with color
Scott all three designs are strong. Many inner city schools resemble prisons with having metal detectors, "resource" officers inside and outside, as well as security guards monitoring the building. The designs presented will trigger uncomfortable emotions. The middle design will be the most eye-catching and could be stronger by adding elements that represent a school and a prison to the building. The first thumbnail has the strongest headline and subheader.
ReplyDeleteThe images in the thumbnails are incredibly striking. When looking at said images, there is a wow factor and it is known exactly what the point is that is trying to be reached. The middle thumbnail is particularly eye catching. The idea of children going in the system as just kids, and coming out as prisoners is dark, but it touches on the point being discussed. Well done.
ReplyDeleteThe 3rd thumbnail is very clear and concise. the header is bold, and it jumps right out to its readers. With color this thumbnailed[will create a bold statement, and ultimately eye-catchingly grab attention. The call to action will be impossible to ignore.
ReplyDelete