Nationally, communities are launching model programs to end the school-to-prison pipeline:
DENVER, CO: In Denver Public Schools, rates of out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, and police tickets for students of color were out of control. For example, police tickets issued to students grew by 71% between 2000 and 2004. AEJ member organization Padres y Jovenes Unidos initiatied research and co-developed new youth-driven discipline policies adopted by the school district, which have led to a 60% drop in the number of police tickets being issued by the Denver Police Department in schools for minor misbehavior; as well as the establishment of 15 Restorative Justice Programs in the Denver Public Schools. At one participating school, fights have gone down by 66%.
PHILADELPHIA, PA: The Philadelphia Student Union (PSU), an AEJ member organization, eased violence and tension at a comprehensive neighborhood high school through a youth-led training of school security officers, and engaged the city’s Office of School Safety on a case study of the process, with an eye towards including a mandate for student-led training of school security in district policy. Additionally, PSU successfully collaborated with the leadership at one city school to improve school climate through the use of measures such as restorative practices and increased communication between students and staff. Violent incidents at the school decreased by 70% and the school was removed from the persistently dangerous list as a result of these measures.
CHICAGO, IL: Voices of Youth in Chicago Education (VOYCE) a youth organizing collaborative which includes AEJ member organizations, developed an initiative designed to transform the freshman year transition. Through freshman year retreats at local universities, a peer mentor support system, and personalized graduation plans for struggling freshmen, the year-old Initiative has shown considerable progress in transforming the freshman year. Student surveys point to an increase in “teacher-student trust,” a measure that has been proven to impact course absences, course failures, and GPAs more than any other measure of school climate. Additionally, 62% of participating freshmen who were identified for academic and attendance interventions are now on track to graduate.
NEW YORK, NY: With funds secured from city and state policy-makers, the Urban Youth Collaborative, a local organizing coalition led by AEJ member organizations, designed and implemented pilot “Student Success Center” programs at three high schools in the city. The programs, which support the training and development of student leaders as peer educators in the college exploration and application process, tripled college application rates at one participating high school and has successfully established a college-going culture in communities where historically as few as 5% of residents have attended college.
