Cleveland, June 24, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- African-American students in communities across the nation are suspended at a rate of more than three times that of their white peers, and those suspensions and subsequent expulsions mean African-American students are then more likely to fall behind in class, drop out of school, and become too familiar with the juvenile or adult justice systems. Across the country, zero-tolerance policies have contributed to a school-to-prison pipeline that undermines the academic achievement goals that many in the early childhood and K-12 sectors are working toward.
A new report from Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC (ACS), Better Than Zero: How alternative discipline is replacing zero tolerance to break the school-to-prison pipeline, highlights a sample of state and local actions to end the school-to-prison pipeline, including an in-depth look at potential changes to zero-tolerance policies in Ohio, and provides a closer look at how research is proving the flaws in zero-tolerance policies. The report is a valuable resource for communities across the country that want to better understand the school-to-prison pipeline and how current policies can be changed to reduce or eliminate it.
"We looked at the effects of zero-tolerance policies, and the effects are negative and long lasting," said Lori McClung, president and co-founder of ACS. "We wanted to offer communities alternatives and provide resources to help states and local communities eliminate the school-to-prison pipeline."
The report also highlights several alternative discipline approaches that are gaining favor as replacements for zero-tolerance policies and showing promise as tools to end the school-to-prison pipeline for good, including restorative justice, targeted behavioral supports for at-risk students, character education and social-emotional learning programs, and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS).
Visit http://www.advocacyandcommunication.org/tools-resources to download a copy of the report.
About Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC: Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC (ACS) is a national communication, advocacy, and strategy development consulting firm that helps nonprofits, government agencies, membership organizations and other groups successfully share their messages about target issues with key audiences and position themselves as leaders in their respective fields. Headquartered in Cleveland, ACS has offices in Columbus, Ohio, Washington, D.C., and Phoenix, Arizona.