Critical Reflection Journal.School to Prison Pipeline - Essay Example

The School-To-Prison Pipeline School-to-Prison Pipeline The phrase “school-to-prison pipeline” is used by American education reform organizations and activists to describe a dominant pattern of pushing students, especially the disadvantaged ones out of the American schools into the American Criminal justice system. The pipeline has been criticized for handling students in corporate instead of individuals who require individual attention and assistance (Laura, 2014). This problem has been propagated by shortages in staffing and statutory mandates in the public schools.

This system has created a vicious circle of miseducation then mass incarceration.It is important to ensure that discipline and freedom are enhanced through and in the education system. As noted earlier, the education system should be blamed for the pipeline. Most public schools suffer from lack of enough resources, for example, lack of enough and qualified teachers, insufficient funds, overcrowded classrooms, lack of counselors, and lack special education facilities among others. These factors have led to increased number of school dropouts (Laura, 2014).

Some students have been sent to disciplinary alternative schools and juvenile detention after being expelled from the public schools. Some schools have been giving very severe punishments to students on very petty issues through the zero-tolerance policies. The education system should ensure that it disciplines its students as well as give them the freedom they need. Freedom and discipline should go hand in hand. In addition, the education’s main aim should be to mold the students, but not punishing them (Laura, 2014).

The education system should ensure that it develops ways and practices that curb the pipeline. Firstly, there is need to abolish the Zero-tolerance policies and develop other realistic disciplinary measures. Secondly, there is a need to equip the schools with more resources like teachers, classes and counselors rather than the policies. The fact that many schools are inadequate resources has led to over-reliance on police, judges and jails rather than on teachers. Lastly, there is a need to curb racism in the education sector.

It can be noted that “students of color” are the most dominant in the juvenile detention facilities. ReferenceLaura, C. T. (2014). Being bad: My baby brother and the school-to-prison pipeline. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.