State-Of-Black-Oregon-2015

REROUTING THE SCHOOL-TO-PRISON PIPELINETOWARD SUCCESSFor many Black students in Oregon, tough disciplinary actions like suspension or expulsionlead to poor academic outcomes:31%Suspended orexpelled studentsrepeated their gradeat least once.Recent strides have been made to advance thiswork. Portland’s Parkrose and Centennial Schooldistricts have set target goals to reduce schoolexclusionary practices, using culturally specificstrategies and interventions.40%Those disciplined11 times or more hada 40 percentgraduation rate.These tough disciplinary policies can thenlead to juvenile justice involvement:Black youthare only of the youth3%population in Oregon, butthey comprise more than11%of those held in closecustody in Oregon facilities.White peers represent71% of the youthpopulation compared withof those in close53%custody. 10“Policies to Eliminate Racial Disparities inEducation: A Literature Review,” released byPSU’s Center to Advance Racial Equity, is arobust compilation of research examining aset of system changes that will keep studentsof color engaged in the classroom. 11WHAT WE CAN DO:• Uphold state mandate: Oregon’slegislature repealed “zero tolerance”policies in 2013, a first step towardeliminating poor and unfair disciplinepractices in schools. The goal was toincrease education outcomes for allstudents, especially students of color.The Oregon Department of Education isresponsible to uphold this mandate andensure that school districts are takingconcrete steps toward compliance.• School districts and boards of directorsmust provide public leadership, fundingand resources that directly meet theneeds of students of color. Policy changecan shift school culture by namingnegative teacher perceptions, andunconscious or conscious bias, as theinstigator of school exclusion. 12 Mandatingracial equity strategies will best supportteachers, school administrators, parentsand students. This includes improving thehiring and retention of teachers of color.• Superintendents are responsible forcreating and overseeing multi-levelchange strategies that specifically outlineeffective pedagogy and training. CulturallyResponsible Positive Behavioral Supports(CRPBIS) and Restorative Justice are twoapproaches proven to keep students inthe classroom and improve achievementoutcomes.37