Prisons Are Feasting on
Black Girls and Young Black Women
Efforts to stop the mass incarceration of
Black girls are practically nonexistent
Three Girls and a Mic
Number of Young African American Women in Prison Rises
By Charlotte Young
Here's a lesser-known red flag in the black community: the fastest growing incarcerated population in the country is African American girls and young women. What does not seem to be rising however, is the number of black girls who are actually committing crimes.
Not only is this baffling, it's a hard-hitting problem as efforts to stop the mass incarceration of black girls are practically nonexistent. According to Barry Krisberg, Research and Policy Director at UC Berkeley's Earl Warren Institute on Law, African American girls face brutality, emotional and sexual abuse once they are in the prison system.
Recently, the Thelton Henderson Center for Social Justice at UC Berkeley's Boalt Law School moved to address the issue by hosting a free day-and-a-half conference, called "African American Girls and Young Women and Juvenile Justice System: A Call To Action." The conference brought together academics and activist from across ages, race and class groups. Many of whom were formerly incarcerated.
Nikki Jones, a sociologist from UC Santa Barbara and Meda Chesney Lind, University of Hawaii, and attendee of the conference, has studied the statistics of imprisoned black girls for over 10 years and explained, "we have never seen these kind of numbers before," reports EthnoBlog.
So far, the cause for this epidemic has been attributed to national zero tolerance policies and a justice system that treats girls of color differently than white girls.
Pricillia Ocen, one of UCLA's Critical Race Studies professors, also points to the long-term effects of slavery and systems such as the chain-gang. But hasn't that always been the case?
Let's hope that the efforts of this conference and hopefully, other efforts to spark awareness, can help to get to the root of this problem and push the numbers down to a new all-time low.
Click here to read more...
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
AFC Praises Passage of D.C. Scholarship Bill from Key Committee
Strong Congressional support moves reauthorization of Opportunity Scholarship Program to vote in full House
Washington, D.C. (March 10, 2011) — The American Federation for Children (AFC) today applauded the advancement of the bill to reauthorize the highly-successful D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program by a U.S. House of Representatives Committee. By a 21-14 margin, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform passed the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act on to a vote by the full House.
The Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) allows children from low-income D.C. families to attend a participating private school of their parents’ choice. The bill would reauthorize the program for five additional years, allow new students to enter the program, modestly increase scholarship amounts, and reinstate a robust and accountable federal evaluation of the program.
The OSP was effectively terminated by the Obama Administration and Congress two years ago, despite overwhelming parental satisfaction, high demand, and strong city support. The most recent federal evaluation of the OSP showed that students who used their scholarships had a 91 percent graduation rate – 21 percent higher than those who were offered but did not use scholarships and more than 30 points higher than D.C. Public School students. The program has also produced gains in reading.
“This is an important step towards making sure that absolutely no child is denied their right to a quality education in our nation’s capital because of their zip code,” said Kevin P. Chavous, an AFC board member and chairman of the Black Alliance for Educational Options. “Now it’s up to Congress to do the right thing and allow these low-income D.C. families to gain access to a quality education, right now.
The SOAR Act, which was introduced by House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), received strong support from many members of the Oversight Committee, including Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Subcommittee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-SC), both of whom are cosponsors of the bill. Bipartisan legislation has also been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).
The OSP is a program that was developed and championed by city leaders in 2003 and continues to enjoy strong local support. Seventy-four percent of D.C. residents support congressional reauthorization; nearly 9,000 families have applied to participate since 2003; nearly 8,000 signed a petition calling for reauthorization; and OSP parents are overwhelmingly satisfied. More than 3,300 children have received opportunity scholarships since the program’s inception in Fiscal Year 2004, and thousands more have benefitted from the city’s three-sector approach to education reform. In addition to funding for the OSP, the SOAR Act would provide $40 million per year to D.C. Public Schools and the District’s public charter schools.
For more information, visit www.FederationForChildren.org
Washington, D.C. (March 10, 2011) — The American Federation for Children (AFC) today applauded the advancement of the bill to reauthorize the highly-successful D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program by a U.S. House of Representatives Committee. By a 21-14 margin, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform passed the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act on to a vote by the full House.
The Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) allows children from low-income D.C. families to attend a participating private school of their parents’ choice. The bill would reauthorize the program for five additional years, allow new students to enter the program, modestly increase scholarship amounts, and reinstate a robust and accountable federal evaluation of the program.
The OSP was effectively terminated by the Obama Administration and Congress two years ago, despite overwhelming parental satisfaction, high demand, and strong city support. The most recent federal evaluation of the OSP showed that students who used their scholarships had a 91 percent graduation rate – 21 percent higher than those who were offered but did not use scholarships and more than 30 points higher than D.C. Public School students. The program has also produced gains in reading.
“This is an important step towards making sure that absolutely no child is denied their right to a quality education in our nation’s capital because of their zip code,” said Kevin P. Chavous, an AFC board member and chairman of the Black Alliance for Educational Options. “Now it’s up to Congress to do the right thing and allow these low-income D.C. families to gain access to a quality education, right now.
The SOAR Act, which was introduced by House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), received strong support from many members of the Oversight Committee, including Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Subcommittee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-SC), both of whom are cosponsors of the bill. Bipartisan legislation has also been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).
The OSP is a program that was developed and championed by city leaders in 2003 and continues to enjoy strong local support. Seventy-four percent of D.C. residents support congressional reauthorization; nearly 9,000 families have applied to participate since 2003; nearly 8,000 signed a petition calling for reauthorization; and OSP parents are overwhelmingly satisfied. More than 3,300 children have received opportunity scholarships since the program’s inception in Fiscal Year 2004, and thousands more have benefitted from the city’s three-sector approach to education reform. In addition to funding for the OSP, the SOAR Act would provide $40 million per year to D.C. Public Schools and the District’s public charter schools.
For more information, visit www.FederationForChildren.org
Monday, May 10, 2010
Ready, Fire, Aim VIDEO
Rushed Attempt to Combine Education Departments Bad for Missouri’s Children
www.benchmarkemail.com
The Missouri House Higher Education Committee heard testimony on SJR 44 and SJR 45. These two measures would place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to combine the Boards and Departments of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Department of Higher Education (DHE). The proposal, in its current form, is a bad idea for Missouri’s children and should be opposed in the Missouri House of Representatives.
Instead of this “ready, fire, aim” approach, the state should seriously review how combining two large bureaucracies into one mega- bureaucracy would affect education for individual children in our state. These critical questions just scratch the surface of what must be answered before discussion of combining these two departments can move forward.
www.benchmarkemail.com
The Missouri House Higher Education Committee heard testimony on SJR 44 and SJR 45. These two measures would place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to combine the Boards and Departments of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Department of Higher Education (DHE). The proposal, in its current form, is a bad idea for Missouri’s children and should be opposed in the Missouri House of Representatives.
Instead of this “ready, fire, aim” approach, the state should seriously review how combining two large bureaucracies into one mega- bureaucracy would affect education for individual children in our state. These critical questions just scratch the surface of what must be answered before discussion of combining these two departments can move forward.
Charting a New Course
Virginia’s educational landscape may finally grow to include charter schools.
Options for parents are growing...PARENTS everywhere NEED to get involved.
Options for parents are growing...PARENTS everywhere NEED to get involved.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Illinois House kills school voucher bill
Fervent lobbying by unions sinks idea to give students $3,700 to switch to private or parochial schools.
The landmark legislation would have made Chicago Public Schools the site of what experts said would be the nation's largest voucher program. Up to 30,000 of the district's 400,000 students could have left the weak schools they now attend, setting up competition for public schools.
Illinois House kills school voucher bill
Fervent lobbying by unions sinks idea to give students $3,700 to switch to private or parochial schools.
The landmark legislation would have made Chicago Public Schools the site of what experts said would be the nation's largest voucher program. Up to 30,000 of the district's 400,000 students could have left the weak schools they now attend, setting up competition for public schools.
Mo. Virtual Schools Program Could See More Funding
PLATTE CITY, Mo. -- One program is actually receiving money during a time of cutbacks in the Missouri budget. Hundreds of students in Missouri attend school through a Web camera. The Missouri Virtual Schools Program look like it will gain funding after an already financially rocky year.
At the start of the current school year, there was $4.8 million in state funds for the program to cover the cost of 1,600 students statewide. Missouri's loss of revenue meant funding for the second semester was almost entirely wiped out. That meant school districts and parents had to come up with the cash to pay for their students to go to virtual school.
The state budget passed last week gave virtual schools more than $600,000 for next year -- far less than the $4.9 million last year. Fuchs said it will be used for infrastructure and to pay more student enrollment fees. Final funding for the schools is now in Gov. Jay Nixon's hands.
At the start of the current school year, there was $4.8 million in state funds for the program to cover the cost of 1,600 students statewide. Missouri's loss of revenue meant funding for the second semester was almost entirely wiped out. That meant school districts and parents had to come up with the cash to pay for their students to go to virtual school.
The state budget passed last week gave virtual schools more than $600,000 for next year -- far less than the $4.9 million last year. Fuchs said it will be used for infrastructure and to pay more student enrollment fees. Final funding for the schools is now in Gov. Jay Nixon's hands.
Legislative Update - Week 17
SB 815 - Allows school districts to adopt a year-round educational program, implement multiple start dates for kindergarten students, and expands the Teacher Choice Compensation Package statewide.
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