Episode 8 – School to Prison Pipeline

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Podcast Hosts and where to find us on Twitter:

Erin Barnes: twitter.com/ebarnes73

Scott Haselwood: twitter.com/teachfromhere

Who hosted the #oklaed chat and where to find them on Twitter:

Kyrstal Golding-Ross @krystalgr80

Overview of chat topic

• Topic: School to prison pipeline moderated by @krystalgr80

Questions from the chat:

• 1 – Has the school-to-prison pipeline been discussed in your school or district?  If so, what was the focus?  If not, how can you start the conversation?

@krystalgr80 A1 Not enough! How can we miss the correlation between #50 in ed spending; #2 in nation in incarceration rate (or are we #1 now?) #oklaed

— Linda Hasler Reid (@lindahaslerreid) April 10, 2017

A1: We haven't discussed this, but I have been reading & researching, including the article linked earlier, on my own time. #oklaed

— Mrs. Waters (@watersenglish) April 10, 2017

• 2 – What do you think are the key contributing factors to the school-to-prison pipeline?

A2) suspensions, expulsions, lack of mentors, lack of consistency with consequences amongst diff pops of students. #oklaed

— Natasha Jefferson (@jefferson_first) April 10, 2017

A2 we have to find ways to make a connection & show these S's a better way. Very hard because the other influences are powerful. #oklaed

— Kenneth Ward (@kennethdward) April 10, 2017

• 3 – Which of these factors are present in your school/district?  What are you doing to address them in your role as an educator?

A3) We don't see a lot of parents and we are in a poverty zone. I try to show suport and encourage my Ss every day. #oklaed

— Lavendaar (@lavendaar) April 10, 2017

#oklaed A3) previously worked on suspension rates, civil right report 2 see schools #s, partnered with mentor programs etc.

— doubledown (@FunstonWM) April 10, 2017

• 4 – Is cultural competency training mandatory for personnel in your school/district?  What does it include?

A4) I don't know the answer to this question, but I do think it should be an on going PD as well as a part of college course work #oklaed

— Stephanie Hinton (@thestephhinton) April 10, 2017

• 5 – How do you think implicit bias might affect your judgment when dealing with subjective behaviors like “disruption” and “disrespect”?

A6: I had a student who my brain told me to be legitimately scared of and my heart said to love. It was certainly complicated #oklaed https://t.co/ZnPshQZltr

— Shelby (@ShelbyJr3) April 10, 2017

• 6 – More and more “zero tolerance” policies are being instituted in districts/schools, and many of these policies require OSS as punishment.  Do you exercise any discretion at to whether Ss are referred for disciplinary action based on these policies?  Why or why not?

A6 I'd like to think it doesn't, or if it does that it's the result of cultural ignorance on my part–but I worry about it #oklaed

— Melinda Parks (@mcappsparks) April 10, 2017

A6 Zero tolerance polices are evil. We should be compassionate, we should be serving kids, not finding ways to boot them out. #oklaed

— Mrs. Waters (@watersenglish) April 10, 2017

• 7 – Research indicates that restorative justice models are more effective than punishment models for improving school climate and keeping kids out of the pipeline.  Has there been any discussion about this in your school or district?  How could you start this conversation or push the initiative forward?

@mcappsparks I am concerned because districts here in MA bring in police officers to keep kids in check. I think it sends a bad message #oklaed

— Amy Bednarz (@amybbednarz) April 10, 2017

Favorite question and why?

• Erin:  

• Scott: Q6: Zero Tolerance policies

Boomsauce tweet(s) of the night:

Erin: 

"The great teacher is not the man who supplies the most facts, but the one in whose presence we become different people." R.W. Emerson

— Mrs. Waters (@watersenglish) May 7, 2014

Scott:

Had sobering convo w/ @drjohnthompson on how institutions get in the way of kids' best interests in #oklaed. Such failure by us "adults".

— Tres Savage (@thricesavage) April 10, 2017

Resources Shared in and after Chat

School-to-Prison Pipeline, The School-to-Prison Pipeline Task Force is a project of the Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice, Criminal Justice Section and Council for Racial & Ethnic Diversity in the Educational Pipeline

Study: Black Students More Likely to Graduate if They Have One Black Teacher

The Overwhelming Majority Of Teachers Are White And It’s Hurting Our Kids

The failure cycle causing a shortage of black male teachers

America Needs More Black Men Leading Its Classrooms

We need more black and brown teachers but not for the reasons you think

Why Black Men Quit Teaching

Why Are All the Teachers White?

WHY ARE OVER 70% OF OUR TEACHERS WHITE FEMALES?

Next week on the #oklaed chat

PassionEDU @FatCatArtist

TY @krystalgr80 Gr8 chat tonight!!! @FatCatArtist next Sunday and @oueducation leader @DeanGarn to follow! #oklaed pic.twitter.com/XfRRtbA5it

— Anne Beck, M.Ed (@MrsBeck25) April 10, 2017

Join us at 8 PM CST Sunday for