What is in the Spotlight?

Efforts are underway to address the dyslexia-to-prison pipeline. Learn about recent legislation on the federal and local levels.

Next week, I will focus on the reasons changes are happening to reading instruction nationwide.

And finally, I will spotlight people coming together to influence systems to be proactive and support children.

A through-line in each of these: we are in a learning process as a nation, since our systems are not set up to support all children.

We need to keep learning.

What’s the legislation?

Given the nature of this problem, incarcerated youth and adults deserve access to screening and services. Recent laws requiring dyslexia screening in jails fit into a classic, reactive “you get services once you are arrested” approach. But by adding data to the somewhat scant research about this issue, they also call attention to the problem, which should encourage schools to take action.

Here are a few notable examples of such laws:

• On the federal level, the 2018 First Step Act includes, among other provisions, screening federal inmates for dyslexia.

• In New York City, a 2023 law requires screening for dyslexia at all city jails.

• And on the state level, New York passed the Dyslexia Diagnosis Access Act, which requires private health insurance companies to cover neuropsychological evaluations, which are burdensome and are the next step, often out of reach, after a screening flags risk factors.

Around the country, as part of “Science of Reading” laws that I will cover next week, states are building in dyslexia screening to their elementary education expectations. This FAQ from ExcelinEd explains and names the 34 states that, as of 2024, had these laws in place, with special roses for Arizona and Missouri.

Unfortunately, the Colorado legislature defeated a bill in 2020 that would have provided screening and evaluations for all incarcerated minors, the Dyslexia Education In Criminal And Juvenile Justice System Act.

How is it a learning process?

Federally, Congress isn’t sure whether the Bureau of Prisons is using a valid instrument. Data is not easy to find, and the current state of the federal government doesn’t bode well for more transparency or movement toward faithful implementation of the law.

For New York City, a recent annual update indicated a dyslexia rate in jails proportional to the general population, raising fresh questions about the process and the instrument used, not to mention follow-through for those referred for more support.

And with regard to New York state law, Medicaid insurance will still not cover neuropsychological evaluations, which are the definitive screenings for dyslexia. As I know from experience both as a parent and as a school leader, these screenings remain inaccessible to most people. Waiting lists for free or low-cost neuropsychological evaluations are upwards of a year long, and privately administered versions are prohibitively expensive without private insurance coverage.

Do you have a student or a subset of students who are just not responding to your systems, seemingly no matter what you try? Just maybe, you have come to the right place.

Bank Street College of Education, located in New York City, is a global name in progressive education. You might not know that they have a whole division focused on supporting students who experience trauma: the Center for Emotionally Responsive Practice, or ERP.

What do they do?

The center provides a range of offerings to schools and teachers, from building community and knowledge building across schools through seminars and an annual conference, to supporting parents and other caregivers, to customized coaching in schools, based on community needs and readiness.

Participants in their programs learn about attachment theory, trauma and practical tools for supporting students.

What do I need to know?

This is the real deal. I have personal experience working with ERP, and what I most appreciated where the following key elements:

• Like any good emotional practice focused on children, the work begins within us.

• The practices start with relationships and the tenet that each student is a whole person with a story and a need to be seen. The practices are designed to serve all students, and can be especially useful for children who have experienced trauma.

• They work! It’s almost magic to see a child who just will not conform to all your behavior management plans and techniques become calm and organized when their needs, not at all apparent on the surface and probably not even to themselves, are met. And those needs begin with feeling connected and safe—in relationship with caring adults who will value their feelings and also uphold structures that make schools safe.

A great starting point is the annual Emotionally Responsive Schools Conference, which usually takes place in December. The 2025 conference was online, making it convenient wherever you are. Read the highlights from 2025 here. Due to scheduling needs, this year’s conference will be on Friday, January 22, 2027. The theme will be Building Authentic Communities of Care. Mark your calendar! Write to erp@bankstreet.edu for more information or to subscribe to the mailing list.

Closing out this series

I truly believe that supporting students who have experienced trauma should be one of the priorities of educators over the next decade, for more reasons than I can name. I hope that you have found information and resources in this short series, which began in April with this post.

Here are a couple of final resources, both 10+ years old now, to close out the series:

• For an introduction to the concept, watch this seminal 2015 TED talk by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, explaining the lifelong health implications of childhood trauma

• If you are at a school that is ready to try something new, a first step might be to explore this screening tool from the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice.

You may be asking:

• So what can schools do?

• What does it take?

• And does research say it can work?

There are answers, and I am sharing some in the next few posts to conclude this series.

Who is in the Spotlight?

There’s a wonderful teacher on Substack who calls herself The Heart of Education, and this very week, she shared a new episode of the Right Now podcast that begins to answer these questions. You should check it out!

Teacher Wellbeing

Right Now: Episode 6

“If a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” Alexander Den Heijer…

Read more

2 months ago · 3 likes · The Heart of Education

Who is the audience?

The Substack and podcast are based in Australia, but educators around the world should listen as the special guest, Australian psychologist Dr. Louise Mansell, breaks down the nature of trauma, how it shows up every day in schools, and what educators can do.

What do I need to know?

Here’s what stood out to me:

• I’m 24 hours of plane rides and an International Date Line away, and yet I recognize the timeless principles and basic human needs of attachment and belonging that Dr. Mansell centers.

• A listener might be misled when Dr. Mansell describes children who have experienced trauma as being in unsafe home environments; this is not always the case, and as she later points out, for a child, the safest person in the world is their attachment figure, usually a parent. Parents are trying hard!

• Dr. Mansell explains that trauma interventions are holistic, and not a single strategy or an isolated intervention. The whole school environment, the classroom and the family can and should all be on the same page.

I was tickled like Teddy Ruxpin to learn about Dr. Mansell’s “Tedology” approach, using teddy bears to support trauma informed practice in schools. I’m about to spotlight a similar and brilliant approach right here in NYC!

Closing Quote from Dr. Louise Mansell

The Anchor, The Bridge and The Village are three Assessment Centers, opened in the last few years and covering a total of six counties in Idaho. A new case study report from the Urban Institute is out sharing their progress and lessons learned.

I first wrote about assessment centers in this post; check it out if you haven’t heard about this promising and powerful structure that keeps young people away from the justice system.

What’s the deal?

The report linked above tells the stories of this state-wide success story. Here’s my timeline of related events in one of the most assertive states in the country in tackling the problems of youth justice:

IDAHO ASSESSMENT CENTERS TIMELINE

There are a couple of key acronyms in there: the JJDPA is a landmark federal law, and the NAC is the National Assessment Center Association.

All of it leads to this quote on LinkedIn from Jason Stone, a former state juvenile corrections and community programs administrator who is acknowledged in the report linked above:

What do I need to know?

There are seven recommendations in the report for counties, nonprofits and communities looking to implement preventive juvenile justice reform. They generally boil down to: act early, act with care and collaboration, and follow best practices.

If institutions follow this advice, communities can work together and change outcomes for young people by keeping them away from the justice system.

One of the report’s authors, Breanna Boppre, has this to say, also on LinkedIn:

Check out this short, personal video by Kara (pseudonym), a 15-year old who describes how restorative justice practices and relationships took her from juvenile detention to a clearer, safer path.

What is the organization? What do they do?

The AHSHAY Center is a nonprofit with two locations in Seattle, offering a variety of programs to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. They provide direct support to youth who have been incarcerated, provide an avenue for youth to develop agency and voice as advocates and storytellers, and nurture the larger systems outside of justice departments that are needed for healthy youth development. Their name stands for Allies in Healthier Systems for Health and Abundance in Youth.

Who is the audience?

AHSHAY is promoting a series of videos by system-impacted youth, sharing their stories to inform the work of educators and those who work in the juvenile justice field. Check The Bending for more videos as they come on line.

What do I need to know?

Kara says it all in the video.

This is the concluding post in a series for Black History Month, sharing and learning together about the Independent Black School movement, peaking about 1970-1985. Access the first post here.

Who is in the Spotlight?

Today I’m wrapping up this series by highlighting institutions that continue the practices and impulse of the Independent Black Schools in our time.

I’ll spotlight a terrific document, followed by three schools among many that continue the legacy I have been describing in this series. Finally, a note on why the movement itself declined despite all the good work it did.

An African-Centered Education Guide for Today

In 2025, a University of North Carolina center, the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, published an incredibly comprehensive research guide.

While focusing on schools serving children ages 3 to 6, its ideas, principles and research certainly apply up to high school and beyond. The guide uses the framework of African-centered education (ACE). While grounded in the work of great educators from Carter G. Woodson to Asa Hilliard III and supported by rigorous academic research, it remains eminently accessible.

Here’s a snippet from page 8, setting the tone for appropriate school design:

Gaps in achievement between Black students and their peers are more indicative of a system of education that does not prioritize the academic, social, emotional, or cultural needs of Black students than any inherent deficiency in Black children themselves.

Check it out here for a historical overview, philosophical and cultural development, structural features of schools studied and a whole lot more.

Today’s Schools in the Spotlight

Pan-African education continues today, despite the decline of the movement in the 1980s (addressed in the next section). We begin with an independent school that was founded in 1975, and move on to two charter schools of more recent vintage.

Charters have their own complicated place in this story, as discussed in the Season 1 of the School Colors podcast. As the presence of a charter itself, which is just a contract with the state to provide school services, is neutral, the charter vehicle can be used to advance Pan-African goals and counter the school-to-prison pipeline, as these schools show.

1. Paige Academy, Boston, MA

We begin with a private school that was part of the original group of Independent Black Schools, and has survived and thrived in the period since. Founders, Brother Joe and Sister Angela, led Paige with joy and purpose for 48 years.

Paige’s website describes its philosophical center, the idea of “Cultural Resonance,” as the institution being in tune and in harmony with the community. For Paige, as for many of its contemporaries from the era that no longer serve their communities, the Nguzo Saba, or Seven Principles of Kwanzaa, are at the core.

Learn more: The school was featured, along with a new, African-centered Montessori called Roxbury Roots, in this 2023 podcast.

2. Betty Shabazz International Charter Schools, Chicago, IL

Accomplished and groundbreaking researcher and veteran of the Black Power movement, Carol D. Lee (also known as Safisha Madhubuti), founded two K-8 charter schools under the name Betty Shabazz International Charter Schools (BSICS) in 1998. The schools’ website describes their “African-centered” approach:

This model has shown that by integrating African culture, history, and values into our rigorous academic curriculum and throughout our school environment, and by hiring loving and committed teachers, the children we educate will develop the cultural pride and self-confidence they need to accelerate their pace of learning and excel academically.​​​​​​​

Learn more: Dr. Lee, past president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), retired in 2019 but remains the board chair of BSICS. Read her impressive biography here.

3. Ember Charter Schools, Brooklyn, NY

Founded by Rafiq Kalam Id-Din in 2011, Ember’s innovative and expansive model has reached maturity with three campuses serving Grades K-12, an inspiring track record of academic growth and success, and a coherent mission and vision that honors and carries forth the Pan-African legacy of the Independent Black School movement into the middle of the 21st century.

According to their website, the “Ember Way” is at the center:

At Ember we teach and employ mindfulness as our primary metacognitive tool to facilitate healing and develop self-efficacy. We combine this practice with an equal commitment to nurturing self-love and -esteem using culturally responsive and affirming techniques rooted in empowerment and agency to support the development of a holistic growth mindset.

School leaders practice what they preach; Id-Din (pictured below on the left), along with all the other “Partners,” teach classes and remain close to the students and the intentional, purpose, mission-driven culture.

Learn more: A panoply of short videos and explainers describing the model greet you on the Ember website.

Post-Script: What Happened to the Movement?

Whew, the sweep of history.

What we have seen in the past few years with attacks on “CRT” (as if the attackers even understand the theory) and even social emotional learning in the service of white supremacy is not only not new, but has almost exacting parallels during the Independent Black Schools movement.

In his 2016 book on Independent Black Schools, We Are An African People, Russell Rickford, Ph.D. devotes a full chapter and much of his Epilogue to what he calls “The Black Institution Depression.” The multifaceted reasons for the decline of the movement are laid out with the length and complexity they deserve in his text, and the brief summary below is my interpretation only of his work.

I see three main factors contributing to the end of this movement for mass social change.

Big: A Big Challenge

As the 1970s progressed, the task of running fledgling institutions with little financial support and the quest for a greater vision (with many leaders attending pan-African conferences and engaging in debates across America and in the Motherland) spread the movement thin. Resources could not always match ambition.

Bigger: A Big Enemy

Greater still were the challenges presented by our own government. Rickford, p. 220:

The forces of counterinsurgency battered African-American political life and culture in the early to mid-1970s.

Make no mistake; the “counterinsurgency” is in our name. The text makes clear that COINTELPRO’s targeting of Black Power activists and the police murder of Illinois Black Panther Party Chicago chapter Chairman Fred Hampton in 1969, among other atrocities, were not anomalies.

Consider these parallels between the Black Power movement and the Trump era. While in the matter of Fred Hampton’s murder, according to the Wikipedia entry (with citations), “a later investigation found that the Chicago police fired between 90 and 99 shots, while the only Panthers shot was from [Mark] Clark’s dropped shotgun,” the day after the murder, the police blamed the victims, calling them “violent” and “extremely vicious.”

That brutality and those statements echo today, when Keith Porter, Jr. was dubiously called an “active shooter” after being killed by an off-duty ICE officer, and government agents blamed and slandered slain activists in Minneapolis despite their clearly nonviolent actions.

But they also redound through the history of the Independent Black Schools Movement. Rickford cites the following, all on page 220:

• “A number of independent schools came under attack” through invasive zoning and legal challenges; the spreading of salacious rumors about staff members’ personal lives; anonymous phone calls to stir up political disputes; and more, including “overt acts of police and FBI harassment.”

• Indictment of Pan African nationalist leaders, including Cleveland Sellers, Willie Ricks, Olgubala and Sonny Carson on specious charges such as “conspiracy to riot” and weapons possession.

• Literally shooting through the windows of the African Free School in Newark.

• “Mysterious deaths of two Pan African nationalist organizers–Ruwa Chiri of Chicago’s Arusha-Konakri Institute and [former SNCC leader] Ralph Featherstone of Washington’s Center for Black Education (CBE).” More “mysterious deaths” are described later in the chapter.

Biggest: A Big Culture Shift

As the 1980s and the Reagan era began, twin crises influenced the dwindling of the Independent Black School movement. Rickford continues:

• Social Challenges: “As unemployment, economic decline, dwindling social spending, and the onslaught of drugs eviscerated many African-American communities…social attrition and the scourge of drug crimes mocked the populist ethic of black solidarity.” (p. 223)

• Declining Populist Support: The rightward shift in the culture heralded by Reagan recentered a rising Black middle class on capitalism, reducing interest in Pan-African nationalism: “Despite its rhetoric of solidarity, bourgeois nationalism sought no basic transformation of social and economic relations, and generally distanced itself from the grassroots struggles of workers, women, and poor people.”

In the wake of the Independent Black Schools peak, this reactionary retrenchment successfully splintered the movement, providing one less proactive check on the coming era of mass incarceration.

At a time when youth incarceration has dropped 75% over the past 30 years, but already shameful racial disparities have widened, the importance of the work of schools like Paige Academy, Betty Shabazz Charter Schools and Ember has never been more vital.

Who is in the Spotlight?

The Philadelphia Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC), led by Director Lisa Varon. Ms. Varon, whose talk is visionary and action is pragmatic, has been able to navigate the complex bureaucracies of a big, complex city like Philly and increasingly weave an effective program into the fabric of the youth development ecosystem. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Assessment Center Association (NAC).

How do they work?

The JAC is run by the Philadelphia Police Department. This founding document lays out the purposes and intentions of the Center:

1. Reducing youth trauma

2. Improving efficiencies in juvenile arrest processing

3. Reducing the time juveniles are held in police custody

4. Connecting juveniles and their caregivers to voluntary community-based services that may improve outcomes for juveniles; and

5. Reducing future delinquent behavior.

At this point in time, the JAC has achieved a remarkable policy outcome laid out in this document: centralizing all youth arrests.

This means that instead of juveniles who are accused of crimes being detained, booked, etc., with the general population, and exposed to all the harms and dangers therein, they and their cases are instead handled with care and developmentally appropriate practices by trained professionals at the JAC.

Ms. Varon is quick to credit others, and to point out that the JAC is part of a larger strategy in the City of Philadelphia. The development of the JAC accompanies a reduction in in-school arrests by over 93% in the past decade.

She explained to me how this reduction has happened: “Philly has had a school diversion program since 2014 (pre-JAC) that was led by our now Police Commissioner, Kevin Bethel. Philly also has a progressive DA, Larry Krasner who started offering pre-adjudication diversion for higher level offenses, after which the JAC launched and created Police Pre-arrest diversion.”

All the while, treating young people with greater care and attention has not led to an increase in crime, a common argument of the “tough on crime” naysayers. As Ms. Varon says:

It’s important to think about community based alternatives to incarceration and how increasing diversion hasn’t contributed to higher crime rates, but rather the opposite.

How did this happen?

Getting the JAC started took a number of years, and engagement in partnerships among numerous government agencies and nonprofit partners at both the local and federal level. The beginnings of this comprehensive and thoughtful process are detailed as a case study on the City of Philadelphia’s website.

On the federal side, the JAC fits right into the Continuum of Care framework, a set of practices from prevention to re-entry that has guided OJJDP, in one form or another, since the 1990s. The City of Philadelphia was one of the first recipients of OJJDP’s Continuum of Care grant program, a $17 million initiative in 2024 to fund evidence-based programs intended to reduce youth crime and counter mass incarceration through prevention.

What’s Next for JAC?

As I know from advocating for this type of work in New York City, confronting complexity is a long haul. It often feels like we have more well intentioned resources than anyone is capable of coordinating. So Ms. Varon is continuing to grow JAC to create more coherence, guided by this notion to which she credits former OJJDP administrator Liz Ryan:

You have to put the kids and the families in the center and not just build systems on top of each other and ask folks to navigate them as government systems are notorious for doing.

Look for the JAC, in the coming months and years, to not only continue combating Philadelphia’s gun violence epidemic and countering mass incarceration with the Center’s effective, restorative work with young people, but also add more programs. Possibilities include building voluntary services for youth and families who are not yet system involved but are looking for support; referral pathways and stronger partnerships with schools and other systems, to prevent kids from getting court involved; and, in general, build on more of the model that is laid out so comprehensively in the founding documents linked below.

How can I learn more?

The links above provide a comprehensive history. Here’s a recap:

• JAC Founding Policy Memo from Philadelphia Police Department

• City of Philadelphia Case Study

Also, the Police Department has issued more information about the Center’s current operations, in a policy and procedure manual shared by NAC as a model for other organizations.

Keep it up, Ms. Varon and the City of Brotherly Love!

Who is in the Spotlight?

In 2011, over 5,000 Shelby County youth were admitted to detention in a single year. By 2019, that number was under 1,000.

What changed? In 2016, the AC Wharton, Jr. Youth and Family Resource Center was born.

For 10 years, this Center has been a lifeline for kids ages 10–17, moving them away from “systems” and back toward community, and learning and improving along the way. Led by Amy Kalb and with major involvement by Chief Probation Officer Dr. Bernard Williams, they are the latest example I am sharing in this short series that trust and connection are more effective than punishment and confinement.

How do they work?

The Center supports youth via referrals from schools, families, or youth themselves. After a purposeful and empathetic intake process, specialists identify a family’s unique strengths and pair them with the right resources.

Watch Manager Antario Dotson take you on a tour of the Center and explain the intake process in this short video.

How is this assessment center governed?

Shelby County’s Division of Community Services oversees the Center. The Division’s five pillars paint a consistent and compelling picture:

Last fall, the Center was renamed after former mayor AC Wharton, Jr., to honor his service and approach.

How can I learn more?

• An evaluation: In 2023, the University of Memphis published a process evaluation, highlighting strengths and suggestions for next steps.

• A snapshot: Check out this Spotlight by NAC from 2024, with its concise descriptions, data and comments from community members.

• And impact: Last year’s Center Annual Report contains a plethora of information about their work, including these data points from their survey of youth served:

• Finally: But I have saved the best for last. As an assessment center evangelist, I have already shared this video with many readers. I watch this 2021 TEDxMemphis talk whenever I need a dose of Dr. Williams’s infectious positive energy and humble love. If you haven’t seen it, you won’t want to miss it!

Who is in the Spotlight?

The Harbor serves young people and their families throughout Clark County, Nevada, which includes Las Vegas and the large geographical area surrounding it.

The county is made up of cities as well as rural communities. Educating nearly 325,000 students, it operates the fifth-largest school district in the nation.

With four locations and a mobile Truancy Prevention Outreach Program, The Harbor has worked to make support accessible to families across this large and diverse county.

How do they work?

As an assessment center, The Harbor’s model is as a “neutral convener,” meaning its core work is to organize interventions and proactive supports. Entering its 10th year, The Harbor’s website reports that it has now served over 30,000 kids in this way.

The centers are open seven days a week, 14 hours a day, and anyone can walk in for juvenile support; they also work directly with the local school system. With school as in with other referrals, the focus is on getting to know the needs of families and following through to ensure services are working as intended.

The two charts below, displaying outcomes on the left from The Harbor’s 2023 National Assessment Center Association (NAC) spotlight, and comparing The Harbor’s referral sources on the right from a 2024 quarterly report, demonstrate the importance of juvenile justice reform initiatives like assessment centers to educators.

How is this assessment center governed?

Like the M.A.R.C. in Louisiana, The Harbor is run at the county level. In this case, Clark County has a Department of Juvenile Justice Services that oversees The Harbor.

How can I learn more?

Take a peek at the outstanding work of a safe harbor in the desert:

• The 2023 NAC spotlight is more detailed than this one.

• Check out their website for more information about The Harbor’s programs, locations and data.

In rural Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, located in the “heel of the boot” and bordering eastern Texas, sits a pioneering office that has overseen a dramatic reduction in youth justice encounters over the past 15 years.

The Multi-Agency Resource Center (M.A.R.C.) is run by Executive Director Anthony Celestine and Assistant Director Joshua Campbell, both of whom sit on the board of the National Assessment Center Association (NAC), with Mr. Campbell serving as the board chair.

Having launched in 2011, but with a pre-history supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation reaching more than a decade earlier, M.A.R.C. is an elder statesman of sorts among assessment centers. Mr. Celestine leads a true learning organization that serves as a resource around the country for reformers looking to divert young people away from the justice system.

How do they work?

M.A.R.C. has networked all the public agencies that impact young people, local families and nonprofits in the parish, and has built trust among all parties.

The organization has a twofold vision:

1. To pool existing community resources

2. To ensure that families in need get timely access to those resources

The focus on building trust is evident: from 2017 to 2023, the center saw a remarkable 327% increase in walk-ins, and beginning in the past couple of years, the local school district began turning to the center for support with all students facing multiple suspensions from school.

Dramatic results for young people have followed.

M.A.R.C. has been a leading member of NAC’s data compilation pilot, ACORN, which provided these tidbits among a plethora of impressive data points:

M.A.R.C. has seen court filings decrease by 38%, status referrals decrease by 80%, and detention placements decrease by 60%.

-ACORN initial report

As early as 2014, M.A.R.C. was being recognized for its powerful impact on diverting youth exhibiting maladaptive behaviors away from the justice system. That year, the Vera Institute of Justice offered this comprehensive analysis of the center, which praised the center’s work and identified areas of possible improvement.

Center staff took the feedback and made recommended changes. This is just one example of the constant listening and learning approach that Mr. Celestine has led; with a community-first focus, feedback is also sought and applied from the most important constituents: families.

How is this assessment center governed?

The M.A.R.C. is run by the Police Jury, which in Louisiana is an elected body serving as the parish executive and legislative branch. The Police Jury represents Calcasieu Parish’s over 200,000 people in rural communities and cities such as Lake Charles.

Living up to its name as “multi-agency,” the M.A.R.C. doesn’t fall under the control of one single department; it is a collaboration of such sectors as the local family court, sheriff’s office, school board, district attorney, public defender, and nonprofits.

How can I learn more?

You’ve got a couple of great options!

• Check out NAC’s detailed Spotlight on M.A.R.C. in February 2024 for more information about their approach and results.

• Listen to Mr. Celestine join me for a shared interview about his work and the need for assessment centers, on the Ethical Schools podcast in May 2024.

Karen “Dr. K” Baptiste is a force of nature.

She is an educator who, inspired by personal experiences, has turned her insights and learning from teaching into a powerful Emmy-winning documentary and an organization that is working across the country to combat the school-to-prison pipeline.

What is the work? Who is the audience?

The film, Preschool to Prison, is available for streaming and dramatizes and details the conditions, policies and decisions in schools that lead to human beings being used to feed the prison industrial complex, beginning as young as age three.

What Dr. K shows is that our systems and structures are effectively labeling children of color and those with special needs across the nation as criminals. Our culture ensures that these groups of our kids will be fighting for their very freedom, entering dehumanizing and traumatizing prison and jail systems, rather than pursuing their hopes and dreams.

The film is for anyone who cares for other people, not just educators. Dr. K has that rare kind of empathy that allows her to connect with anyone, regardless of their circumstances, and it comes through in the film.

What is the organization?

Dr. K leads an organization called Pioneering Possibilities, that works across systems to support changes in this tragic situation. Her consultancy provides workshops, leadership coaching and customized projects for any sector of society that works with young people: school districts, court systems, nonprofits and more.

How can I learn more?

Check out the film, check out the website, and you can also read this very cool profile in Black Enterprise.

Happy Holidays!

This week, the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the end of Hanukkah, Christmas and the start of Kwanzaa converge. Have a wonderful holiday and may you be able to have a safe and restful time with family and friends!Thanks for reading The Bending! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Who is in the Spotlight?

The Center for Black Educator Development (CBED) is hosting its 8th annual Black Men in Education Convening (BMEC) in Philadelphia this week.

CBED is a Philly-based national nonprofit whose work is to rebuild the national Black teacher pipeline, sharply diminished over the decades in the wake of the Brown decision, to support quality education for all students.

CBED offers an impressive array of programs, creating pathways to entry and accreditation, and a support system aimed at retention, for Black educators who would benefit our communities by joining our field but might not otherwise have the inclination or opportunity.

For more detail about their work and the Convening, check out this comprehensive article from last week, or an insightful October 28 interview with CBED Chief Program Officer Dr. Orpheus Williams and teacher Leon Smith on Howard University’s WHUR-FM.

Why is this important for the School-to-Prison pipeline?

As noted in a prior post, African-Americans are the most disproportionate victims of mass incarceration among racial groups in the United States, the latest in the long line of white supremacist backlashes to progress by the African Diaspora in the Americas. But the research, backing up common sense, is clear: Black teachers interrupt the School-to-Prison pipeline for their students.

They do so by raising academic achievement levels, reducing out-of-school suspensions, and improving longitudinal outcomes of their Black students–all without negative impacts on students of other races.

If you don’t believe me, check out reporting by the American Bar Association, which concludes, “The overall effect of race matching on discipline outcomes is largest for Black male students.” Or read this article by the American Economic Association, which states that, among other benefits, “increases in plans to go to college among Black students [who were matched to Black teachers] were entirely driven by kids from the most disadvantaged neighborhoods.” How about a Brigham Young University brief crystallizing a mountain of studies through the lens of Jamila Blake’s research: “Black students are less likely to be suspended by a Black teacher than a White teacher”?

It should be self-evident how harsh disciplinary practices set children up for the carceral state. But equally concerning are a cadre of statistics about the academic needs of the prison population. These are collected, one after the other, in a report by Literacy Mid-South, beginning with the finding that “85% of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally low-literate.” It just gets more enraging from there.

CBED’s programming is rebuilding the Black teacher pipeline, decimated in yet another backlash against racial equity–this time, the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case. Brown gets praise, and rightfully so, for enshrining racial integration into case law. But the white supremacist response was immediate and brutal.

In 1959, the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by the NAACP against the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling in Brooks v. Moberly, which blessed the firing of tens of thousands of Black educators in the wake of Brown. Our education system, losing these educators who were typically more qualified and accomplished than their white replacements, has not recovered.

Who is the audience?

Any educator is welcome to attend BMEC, but for reasons noted above, the focus is squarely on Black educators, and on Black male educators in particular.

The event is an intergenerational event, with attendees range from aspiring educators (high school & college students) to retired educators and beyond.

What do I need to know?

This event has a seismic impact on education, bolstering the ongoing work of CBED but also simply due to the caliber of talent and accomplishment it brings together each year.

This year’s speakers will include a host of national figures with an outsized impact and platform, ranging from former Secretary of Education Dr. John B. King, Jr. to Grammy Award winner Lupe Fiasco, and dozens of accomplished educators and researchers in between.

How can I get involved?

Check out their website, follow founder and CEO Sharif El-Mekki on social media, and support their work. CBED is active year-round; look out for social media and other campaigns to help spread the message: “#WeNeedBlackTeachers.”

Innovative Secondary Education: P-TECH

In 2013, President Barack Obama visited the Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) in Brooklyn, touting its role in offering the sense of hope and upward mobility that forms the American Dream.

P-TECH, founded through a partnership with IBM, offers a six-year program allowing students to graduate with an Associates degree, in the context of a technology focused, free public school. There are now nine P-TECH schools in the five boroughs of New York City, and about 50 around the New York State, each with an Associates degree at the end of the rainbow and an industry partner providing supports for, according to the state site linked above, “high-need, high-skill” industries.

Extending the Tradition: Vocational High Schools in New York City

There are over 350 vocational programs across over 150 high schools in New York City alone. At McKee CTE High School, seven different program offerings lead to not only a high school diploma, but real world work experience and the skills to pass professional certification exams and join trade unions and guilds, in areas such as automotive technology, game design and coding, carpentry and electrical installation.

A Chance to Work: The Manhattan Education Opportunity Center (MEOC)

In the heart of Harlem lies a program of the City University’s Borough of Manhattan Community College: the MEOC. Remarkably, this center offers free courses for high school equivalency degrees, English as a new language, and a cadre of job training programs. According to the MEOC, “Graduates from the Manhattan EOC have moved into jobs in healthcare, business, government and nonprofit organizations or have been accepted into many public and private colleges.”

MEOC’s track record shows that it’s never too late for students who, for one reason or another, could not thrive in the traditional high school setting.

Why does it matter?

As I discussed last week, Workforce Development and community support programs are critical partners with schools to bend the School-to-Prison pipeline. Skill gaps caused by interruption of, ineffective or disaffection from education are a major ingredient that leads young people into the trauma of the prison system rather than a life of independence and personal growth.

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What can I do?

Check out one or more of the links above to learn more. Promote these programs—all of them free of costs—to young people who need their support but may not be aware of their existence or of their own eligibility.

And thank you for putting a bend in the pipeline.

Who is in the Spotlight?

The Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, and its spinoffs such as My Sister’s Keeper.

What do I need to know?

A key way for educators to disrupt the School-to-Prison pipeline is to engage with local community resources, which often know our kids very well, and the MBK’s are designed for this kind of collaboration.

So, first, read on and learn more.

If you are ready to act: Secondary schools can consider starting an MBK Community as a club for students. Teachers and other educators can work with local nonprofits and other organizations to engage as formal partners or with a local MBK Community outside the school building.

What is the background?

During President Barack Obama’s second term, the world was busy getting ready for the high stakes 2016 election and the various political battles that followed the bruising 2012 election.

Of course, racial violence and the brutal oppression of young people of color was continuing unabated. The murder of 14-year old Trayvon Martin in 2012 spurred President Obama to action. He announced My Brother’s Keeper in February 2014.

Who is the audience for My Brother’s Keeper?

Anyone with an interest in supporting healthy boys and young men of color can start or get involved with an MBK affiliate. From their website, they believe…

• “...communities are the unit of change to realize improved life outcomes for boys and young men of color.”

• “...that cross-sector collaborative action is central to how communities will achieve improved outcomes for boys and young men of color.”

What do they do?

Local affiliates have their own programming, style and specific outcomes but the thoughtful, research backed and extensive MBK Equity Framework illustrates all about the Alliance and can also allow you to reflect on your own school community. The framework includes:

• A set of Core Values and Elements of Success illustrated by profiles of successful MBK Communities

• A Self-assessment to measure a community’s progress

• A Roadmap and Toolbox providing resources and next steps based on the assessment

Here are some of the key parts of the framework that are directly applicable to our work as educators:

Six Milestones

1. Getting a healthy start and entering school ready to learn.

2. Reading at Grade level by third grade.

3. Graduating from high school ready for college and career.

4. Completing postsecondary education or training.

5. Successfully entering the workforce.

6. Providing second chances.

Eight Elements of Success

Finally, the alliance has inspired or sponsored spinoffs for girls and those identifying as girls, such as the Girls Opportunity Alliance in Chicago and the My Sister’s Keeper New York State Education Department initiative, which launched this spring.

Closing Thought

What kind of society do we want? Genesis 4:9 (in the New International Version) inspired this phrase, after Cain killed his brother Abel in a fit of jealousy.

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

The Dignity in Schools Campaign is a national membership organization fighting against the school-to-prison pipeline by empowering local communities. They provide direct action, advocacy and leadership development.

What is the tool?

This group does so much, but this is their latest release — funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and informed by two years of action research, they created a toolkit in August 2025 for school staff to help self-assess how much they are or not contributing to the problem of PUSHOUT.

Who is the audience?

ANYONE looking to drive improvement and empowerment in their school community. The toolkit is designed to plan (for school administrators) or to advocate for specific changes (for teachers, families or community members). Pretty cool!!

What do I need to know?

• The toolkit landing page is here.

• The toolkit document itself is 28 pages and has the following sections:

  • A summary of their THREE STEP PROCESS (Assess - Organize - Plan).

  • A section with multiple parts to complete for each step to assess and map solutions. The third section contains a HUGE compendium of links to resources for relevant actions your school might want to take.

• There are also checklists, stakeholder-specific materials and advocacy info, all linked on the landing page.

• There is a Spanish Language version of all materials.\

Check it out, think about how you might use it in your school community, and let me know your thoughts in the comments.