Comments on: Racism in Schools: Unintentional But No Less Damaging

By: Kate Smith

Kate Smith — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:18:49 +0000

ACLU: SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE IS INTENTIONAL INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM! visit sbschooltalk.comThe ACLU Racial Justice Program is committed to challenging the “school to prison pipeline,” a disturbing national trend wherein children are funneled out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Many of these children have learning disabilities or histories of poverty, abuse or neglect, and would benefit from additional educational and counseling services. Instead, they are isolated, punished and pushed out.”Zero-tolerance” policies criminalize minor infractions of school rules, while high-stakes testing programs encourage educators to push out low-performing students to improve their schools’ overall test scores. Students of color are especially vulnerable to push-out trends and the discriminatory application of discipline.The ACLU believes that children should be educated, not incarcerated. We are working to challenge numerous policies and practices within public school systems and the juvenile justice system that contribute to the school to prison pipeline.THE CHILDREN’S DEFENSE FUND HAS LAUNCHED A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO END THE SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPLELINE. JOIN sbschooltalk’s END CRADLE TO PRISON PIPELINE GROUP and work to stop institutionalized racism and child abuse.”Our juvenile prisons and jails are overflowing with children who simply don’t belong there,” said Southern Poverty Law Center President Richard Cohen. “These are the children who desperately need a helping hand. Instead, we’re traumatizing and brutalizing them — increasing the risk that they’ll end up in adult prisons. It’s tragic for the children and bad for the rest of us, because it tears apart communities, wastes millions in taxpayer dollars and does nothing to reduce crime.”This is the greatest scandal in the history of our country. California’s school system administration is a Racketeering-Influenced and Corrupt Organization. (RICO) Expose school corruption, reform education, and restore justice and democracy in our schools and society.

By: Anonymous User

Anonymous User — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:47:52 +0000

Time to get real here. Let’s take a realistic look at Alejandra’s situation. Unfortunately, in today’s very competitive college acceptance environment, a 3.3 grade point average ISN’T considered all that great –usually not good enough to get into one of the UC’s — unless there are mitigating circumstances (great athlete, etc.). Our daughter (who DID make it into the UC system) earned a 4.6+ average, and worked her pituty off to get it. A number of our daughter’s friends decided to go to Santa Barbara City College because it is a TOP NOTCH educational institution and it is affordable. If a student does well there during the first two years, they are usually accepted at UCSB; thus, Alejandra CAN realize her dream of graduating from a 4 year college. You will need to find a better example if you want others to believe that the very real problem of Latino educational underachievement is the sole fault of “institutional racism.” Better yet, I hope that we can all look for the genuine underlying reasons that Latino students do not fare as well. I am sure that the answers are varied and complicated, but need to be addressed. Yelling “institutional racism” doesn’t add anything constructive to the problem.

By: Anonymous User

Anonymous User — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:00:12 +0000

“Institutional Racism”…what a laugh.Anglo and Latin…two diff cultures. Not to be swept under the rug.Go read Lawrence E. Harrison’s, “The Pan American Dream” or “Culture Matters”.Latins are hard-wired for another culture that emphisizes other things besides study. Your racing a pony in the Indy 500, dear. Peaches and oranges. Ive submitted this to Jack O’Connal and recommended the same books.