David Domenici: Educators Can and Should Break the School-to-Prison Pipeline
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Speaking at the New Schools - Aspen Institute Summit 2012 last week, David Domenici challenged educators to embrace troubled (and often challenging) students and to keep them in school, instead of calling the police. (watch David's short talk at the 29:45 mark)
He listed 4 focus areas:
Teach inside the fence: many of the schools in juvenile jails need compassionate and well-equipped teachers to work with teens, many of whom are under-educated and special needs. Increase technology and capacity inside jails: computer labs and classes are often crowded and ill-equipped to handle students who want to learn. Decrease use of police inside schools: save police calls for situations that pose real threats to safety and that are criminal in nature. Educators and counselors should engage with disruptive students and try to find a solution that keeps them in school.