Reallocation of
resources key to
cutting off policy-to-
prison pipeline
To reverse trends
and a focus on
criminalization,
educators will need to
operate as educational
sanctuaries that keep
kids in school, police
off their campuses
and tackle the
unconscious biases
that plague us all.
24
Leadership
Public schools have inherited
the brunt of the blame for their perceived
contributions to what is commonly known
as the school-to-prison pipeline. Armed
with ammunition, proponents of school
privatization highlight the failures and in-
equities that exist in our public schools.
Nearly one in two African American boys
will not graduate from high school in four
years (Anderson, 2013). Public schools sus-
pend and expel young black boys at more
than two times the rate of Caucasian boys
(Greene and Winters, 2006).
Walking through the halls of school,
greeting students and building relationships
are supposed to be positive attributes of aca-
demic leaders. As I make my way through
the corridors of my school site, there are spe-
cific realities I must face that simply cause
me to pause. Following the multitudes of
fist bumps, handshakes, “What’s up’s” and
“Good mornings,” my optimism becomes
challenged by empirical facts.
On average, one of every three hope-filled
African American male students will find
their way to prison at some point in their
life (Mauer and King, 2007). Nearly one
in two will not graduate from high school.
Because of their academic shortcomings
and assigned state prison number, each will
be plagued for an eternity. Red f lags will
surface when applying for living wage em-
ployment; many will be paper screened out
of competitive employment due to absent
credentials, such as a high school diploma,
and all will become prime candidates for the
76 percent of recidivists who find their way
back to prison within five years of being re-
leased (Durose, Cooper and Synder, 2014).
So, what are public schools doing to ad-
dress and reduce the 2.3 million caged
Americans (Wagner and Rabuy, 2016)? Do
they care that nearly 70 percent of the juve-
nile “animals” behind bars are either black or
brown (Giroux, 2003)? Of course, they do.
By choice, many educators work in com-
munities and with families that many other
Americans avoid at all costs. Faced with the
demands of high stakes tests and the ac-
countability accompanying them, public
scrutiny, expectations of ongoing training
and professional development, and a daily
battle to stave off unconscious and conscious
biases, these soldiers wear many different
By Oron Jackson