The School-to-Prison Pipeline and Zero-Tolerance Policies
The United States education system has a long, sordid history of racial discrimination and unjust practices towards children of color. The failure or inability of the American education system to instruct African American students specifically, has been well-chronicled (Asante, 1998). Unfortunately, the punitive and overzealous tools and approaches of the modern criminal justice system have seeped into our schools, serving to remove children from mainstream educational environments, where some students, mostly males, are funneled into a one-way path toward prison. Described as one of the most urgent challenges in our American education system (NAACP, 2005), this presentation will define The School-to-Prison Pipeline (STPP), discuss how zero-tolerance policies contribute to STPP, and provide some strategies for the abatement of STPP.
This JES Satellite Program is at:
Lincoln Community Center Library
1255 Manchester Rd.
Erie, PA 16505
Covid-19 policies will be in effect throughout programming, please review the JES Covid-19 policy here. Patrons will need to show their vaccination cards or proof of a negative test. Face masks will no longer be required for patrons, but are encouraged. All JES Satellite Programming is FREE to all.
Parris J. Baker, PhD., MSSA, Associate Professor and Director, Social Work, Mortuary Science, and Gerontology Programs, Department of Criminal Justice & Social Work, Gannon University. He received his undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees in social work from Gannon University, Case Western Reserve University, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, and the University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work, respectively. In 2011, Dr. Baker became the first African American tenured professor at Gannon University. He most recently became a Jefferson Education Society Scholar-In-Residence and Harry T. Burleigh and Beyond Fellow.
