It’s our first two-parter. There was too much to discuss for just one episode. Make sure to check out Episode 10, In Session: Education Part 1 before this one!
This week we’re getting into some dark pipelines found in the education system. We first talk about the realities of structural racism, which is intertwined in many ways that leave minority children to face more extreme challenges to achieving academic success. Through recruitment and hiring practices, there are fewer black educators, leading children without role models to become educators themselves.
The Seattle Times project Education Lab examines how these problems are enforced.
Kate talks about the National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth (NNOMY) and an article written by Rebecca Perez. Perez wrote that even though there have only been two known military generals who have been superintendents of schools, we still use the MBA mentality. She describes this as a mentality “where the skills of management are so generic that one can seamlessly transition from one type of organization to another. Such as here; from militia to education.”
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez introduced a pair of amendments to a defense appropriations bill. The amendments would bar the military from using funding to maintain a recruiting presence in US Schools or digital platforms like Twitch. Listen in to hear the current status of these amendments.
Kate tells of the issues surrounding JROTC programs and recruiting children into the military at young ages. We respect military members and families, but believe locking young people into this decision can be dangerous.
Another pipeline we discuss is the school to prison pipeline, or its more nuanced term, school to prison nexus. Natasha talks about the report Indicators of School Crime and Safety by the Institute of Education Sciences that shows many schools lack adequate mental health services. But school funds are put into school resource officers, who are on-site law enforcement. These SROs have led to more suspensions, expulsions, and arrests.
The disproportionate race statistics of current inmates reflects this pipeline/nexus. Black and latinx students are more likely to face negative consequences through this system. A Civil Rights Data Collection on School Discipline highlights these alarming numbers.