#30DayEducationChallenge Day 17: The School to Prison Pipeline

Welcome to Day 17! Now that we have a base understanding of redlining and the causes of our current day housing segregation, it's time to talk education. Public schools are largely funded through property taxes and as we know, because of redlining and federal and state policies, Black people face significant barriers building wealth and are often forced into neighborhoods across America that remain segregated. Meaning poor Black schools receive on average $2,200 per student per year than schools in predominately white districts ($23 BILLION per year less). So yes, schools in Black neighborhoods are worse.

Enter the school to prison pipeline: a national trend in which students are funneled out of public schools and into the criminal justice system. "Zero tolerance" policies that suspend students for minor infractions, discriminatory discipline practices, and police officers in schools (schools that often have a part-time social worker and a one school counselor for hundreds of students many of whom are experiencing PTSD, neglect, etc) lead to poor Black students being disciplined in the juvenile justice system for issues that would normally be handled in the classroom and sent into the criminal justice system.


Links:
📺The School-to-Prison Pipeline Explained (3 minutes)
📖Understanding the School-to-Prison Pipeline  (10 minutes)
📺TED: How We're Priming Some Children for Prison and Some for College (16 minutes)


Reflection questions (discuss with your group, join the conversation on Instagram, journal)

1. What is something new you learned?
2. What is something that surprised you? 
3. What can we as individuals do to fight this?
4. What are examples you have seen (in life or in the news) of this in action?

If you just joined us, 👋🏼welcome! You can pick up today and follow this live through the end. After we finish Day 30, please start from the beginning and complete the first two weeks in order.