Countering the Pushout Problem

When schools replace the term "drop out" and instead refer to "push out," they acknowledge the factors that contribute to a student's decision to leave school. They also recognize how certain practices may perpetuate systematic inequities in terms of a student's race, class, or gender. Most notably, school discipline, "with its heavy reliance on exclusionary practices—dismissal, suspension, or expulsion—becomes a predictable, cyclical, and ghettoizing response," writes Monique Morris, author of Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools. Student behavior may be acting out a response to trauma or general disenfranchisement within school. Experts like Morris argue that counteracting the pushout problem requires healing, relationship-focused classrooms that provide an unbiased and inclusive curriculum and show students the path from where they are to career and college ambitions.

Features

Not on My Watch: What You Can Do to Disrupt the Criminalization of Students of Color in Schools

Kelisa Wing

The unjust criminalization of black and Latino children does not stop at the schoolhouse door. Rather than accepting the status quo, become a part of the solution by having courageous conversations, managing classrooms better, and employing restorative justice.

Disengagement Problems Disguised as Discipline Problems

Amy Rodriguez

When students act out, it may be their only way of speaking out about disenfranchisement and trauma. Instead of using punitive measures, this New York City principal and her teachers look for ways to de-escalate, relate, and ultimately engage student voice and agency.

Teachers Need Support Unpacking White Privilege and Race

Jodi Rath

A teacher reflects on her ongoing and incomplete journey toward understanding her own privileged perspective, while also expanding her students' worldviews. Beyond resources and readings, teachers need relationships that push them to think critically about race and culture.

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