The School to Prison Pipeline

The beginning of the school year is often an exciting time filled with decorating classrooms, collaborating with staff, meeting families, and more. Many schools and districts are also planning for daily practices that combat stress and innovative interventions that actually teach skills. Why? Take a look at these sobering statistics:

• Stress is the number one cause of disease in America. 3 out of every 4 doctor visits are because of stress. At the core, stress is America’s #1 Health Problem.
• More than two thirds of children in the U.S. report experiencing a traumatic event by age 16.
• Stress and trauma impact school performance. Research shows that students who experience chronic stress and trauma have a lower GPA, higher rate of absenteeism, increased dropouts, increased suspension/expulsion, and decreased reading ability.
• Suspensions drastically increase the chance of students dropping out, which increases their chance of going to prison. In fact, our government uses third grade suspension data to determine how many new prisons to create. 

Is your blood boiling yet?

Fortunately, neuroscience and trauma-informed practices are rapidly making way into the forefront of education. We know that students experiencing stress and trauma are not able to focus or learn successfully and often find themselves in trouble. Stress and trauma blocks the brain’s prefrontal cortex where executive functions are executed. These functions include our ability to pay attention, plan and organize, set long and short term goals, respond with intention and purpose, and emotionally regulate.

So rather than focusing on the behavior at a surface level, what if we addressed the root? Could "a zero tolerance discipline approach" really be a zero tolerance for kids who've experienced chronic stress and trauma? What could be done as a school to address student and staff stress, so that all can thrive?

Here are some resources to share with your staff:

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS TED TALK



CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ARTICLE

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SETTING UP REGULATION STATIONS IN YOUR K-12 SETTING

The pipeline to prison gets to end with our generation. Imagine the outcomes created by daily practices based on the latest neuroscience that "teach peace" mixed with innovative interventions. I'm getting goosebumps just writing this. A change is coming... are you up for the challenge? Email us with a "YES" if you're in!