Black boys deserve playgrounds not jail cells!
So where do we go wrong when playgrounds turn into jail cells?
It begins as early as third grade when the school-to-prison pipeline begins for many boys of color.
Third grade is the next biggest milestone after Kindergarten.
It’s during this time in a child and family’s life that they learn about the academic progress of their child in regards to standardized testing results that are used to provide a blueprint of the child’s academic success.
Reading can help flip the school-to-prison pipeline.
Our communities and schools work together to provide safe places for this to happen.
Recreational activities, socialization and cultural differences all work together to build the character and personality of our children.
The engagement of parents make a difference in the success of Black boys!
The Advancement Project has worked to call to an end of the school-to-prison pipeline to help our schools and families better prepare our children for success and not stats!) that support a healthy balance of parent empowerment so that children ages 0-4 can begin active learning from their first educators, their parents and family.
Many parents of Black boys aren’t aware that being unprepared in such critical years of development causes a lot of unwanted issues for them and their child.
I like to remind parents of the importance of transition from one grade level to the next.
Especially for Black boys.
Too many of our boys are still being left behind because of the disadvantages in their pathways.
Early engagement of families reading, writing and teaching their boys to basic fundamentals is key!
Pre-k helps prepare Black boys for school through early learning and development strategies that are a critical piece to the academic success of our children.
These years are critical because by third grade, all students are expected to be able to meet and exceed state academic measures.
Jason has worked in education for over 15 years as a teacher, blogger and community advocate. He speaks and writes primarily about the need to improve education for Black boys, particularly increasing the number of Black male educators in schools. In addition to blogging here at EdLanta, Jason is also a featured writer at Education Post.