Dismantling the
School to Prison Pipeline
for Indiana’s Children
Sheila Dennis, MSW
Indiana University School of Social Work
Anita Osborn, MSW
Indiana University School of Social Work
Children’s Policy and Law Initiative
Mission
CPLI advocates for systemic
changes in laws and governmental
responses so that they promote
healthy outcomes and ensure that
the treatment of children is just
and age-appropriate.
Children’s Policy and Law Initiative
Focus of Advocacy and Reform:
Change laws, policies, practices, and culture to keep children in
schools and out of the juvenile and criminal justice systems
Reform school discipline laws and reduce the exclusionary practices
of suspensions and expulsions of children from schools
Ensure fairness and equity for court-involved youth
Advocate for age-appropriate, research-based continuum of services
for troubled or court-involved children
Promote public policies and practices that embrace positive,
strength-based youth development approaches, and advocate for
laws that invest in Indiana’s children
School to Prison Pipeline
• Unintended consequence of Zero Tolerance Discipline Policies
• Disproportionately impacting children of color
• Evidence suggests effects to ZT are counterproductive
• Disproportionate Discipline of African American students is
extensively documented
• 3x more likely to be involved with juvenile justice system the
following year
(Council on State Governments Justice Center, 2011; Skiba et al., 2014; Skiba, Michael, Nardo, & Person, 2002)
)
Zero Tolerance Paradigm
Gun Free Schools
Act 1994
The Jeffords
Amendment to
the Gun-Free
Schools Act
Federal Drug
Polices of 1980s
(Skiba, R., 2000)
Varying local
school definitions
and applicationsbroadened
beyond federal
mandates
National Data
• Over 3.5 million students grades K-12
suspended during 2011-2012
academic year
• lost about 18 million days of
instruction to out-of-school
punishments in the 2011-2012 school
year
• Exclusionary rate for black males is 3x
higher than it is for white children
• Black children represent 18% of
preschool enrollment but 48% of
exclusionary discipline cases;
compared to white children who are
43% of preschool enrollment but 26%
of exclusionary discipline cases
(Losen, D. et al. 2015; US Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, 2014)
Indiana
Public Education
• 1,030,965 enrolled
students
• 88% graduation rate
• 5% learning English
• $10,485 spent per pupil.
• Students are 73% White,
12% African American, and
8% Latino.
(Source: Kids Count 2015)
Exclusionary Discipline in Indiana 2007-2012
African American
Students consistently
suspended/expelled
at higher rates
Most suspensions are
given for non-violent
offenses
Male students are
excluded at higher
rates than female
students
(Abel & Oliver, n.d.)
In 2011-2012, 2nd highest out of school
suspension rate (tied with Missouri) of
Black males. Approximately 27%
suspension rates for Black males
(OCR, March 2014)
Juvenile Detention
Costs in US:
$8-21 billion
each year
Average Cost to
Educate a Child in
Indiana:
$10, 485/year
To Detain a Child:
$56,130/year
Source: Juvenile Policy Institute (2009)
Pain-Based Behavior in the Classroom
 Emotional challenges
 Reckless and aggressive
behaviors
 Difficulties focusing and impulse
control
 Mislabeled as ADHD, LD, ODD
and CD
Trauma and Indiana Children
• 22,555 substantiated cases of abuse and neglect
• 22.2% live in poverty
• 11.1% or children have had incarcerated parent
• According to IDOE reports, in 2013 15,777 homeless youth
• In 2012, 4,868 children received domestic violence residential
services
(Kids Count, 2015, Indiana Coalition Against Domestic violence, 2013)
Trauma and Exclusionary Discipline
• 3x more likely to encounter exclusionary discipline
• Increased referrals to juvenile justice system
• Estimated between 75-93% of youth in juvenile justice system have
experienced trauma
(Justice Policy Institute, 2010; Plotkin, 2011)
What Works?
Positive Behavioral Supports90% reduction in problem behaviors in over half of the studies
27% of studies revealed elimination of problem behaviors, improved academic
performance
20-60% reduction in office discipline referrals
• Social Emotional Learning approaches (CASEL)
• Restorative Justice
• Culturally Responsive Approaches
(Cohn, 2001; www.casel.org; www.pbis.org)
2015 Relevant State Legislation
SB 443
SB 500
HB 1596
HB 1001
Various
Education
Matters
Education
Deregulation
School Resource State Biennial
Officer Training Budget
Passed Senate; Referred
to Education committee
Referred to the House
No Movement
Passed House, Being
heard in Senate
Appropriations
Committee on March 5th
SO WHAT DO YOU DO
IN THE MEANTIME IN
SCHOOLS UNTIL
LEGISLATION
CHANGES?
TRAUMA AND YOUR STUDENTS
PATTERNS AND ORGANIZATION
OF BRAIN FUNCTION
Requires patterns to effectively develop and
organize the brain
With chaotic sensory input or inconsistent
patterns of activity or sensory input, there
are crucial dysfunctions
Adapted material from Dr. Gail Folaron , 2015
CHANGING THE BRAIN
• The brain is always changing
• Plasticity is not uniform across all brain areas
• It takes less time, intensity and repetition to
organize the developing neural systems than to
re-organize the developed neural systems
•
•
Adapted material from Dr. Gail Folaron , 2015
ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES - ACES
Trauma
Brain Development
Learning
Perception
All rights reserved © 2004 Bruce D. Perry
EXAMPLES OF TRAUMA
•CHILD MALTREATMENT
•ABUSE/NEGLECT
•NATURAL DISASTERS
•WAR
•COMMUNITY VIOLENCE
•FAMILY VIOLENCE
•Others
BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
•The brain develops and organizes as
a reflection of developmental
experience, organizing in response
to the pattern, intensity and nature of
sensory and perceptual experience
All rights reserved © 2004 Bruce D. Perry
3 YEAR OLD CHILDREN
3 Year Old Children
Normal
CIVITAS ChildTrauma Programs
Extreme Neglect
© 1997, Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D
TIME, COGNITION, AND MENTAL STATE
Sense of Time
Extended
Future
Days/Hours
Hours/
Minutes
Minutes/
Seconds
Loss of Sense
of Time
Cognition
Abstract
Concrete
Emotional
Reactive
Reflexive
CALM
AROUSAL
ALARM
FEAR
TERROR
Mental State
All rights reserved © 2004 Bruce D. Perry
Adaptive
Response
Rest
(Adult Male)
Hyperarousal
Continuum
Rest
(Male Child)
Vigilance
Freeze
Flight
Fight
Vigilance
Resistance
Defiance
Aggression
Dissociative
Continuum
(Female Child)
Avoidance
Compliance
Dissociation
Fainting
Cognition
Abstract
Concrete
Emotional
Reactive
Reflex
Mental State
CALM
AROUSAL
AROUSAL
FEAR
Terror
Rest
All rights reserved © 2004 Bruce D. Perry
WHAT TRAUMA LOOKS LIKE
• Day Dreaming
• Impaired social & emotional functioning
• Have difficulty retraining information
• Labeled as learning disabled
• Can sit in classroom and not learn
• Less mature problem solving
• Use violence as a tool
• PTSD
• May need to control their environment
All rights reserved © 2004 Bruce D. Perry
POSSIBLE APPROACHES OF
DIFFERENT SYSTEMS
•Schools?
•Probation?
•Police?
•Mental Health?
All rights reserved © 2004 Bruce D. Perry
HELPING CHILDREN WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED
CHOAS, ABUSE OR NEGLECT OR ANY TRAUMA
Interventions –
• Mirror neurons/ calm & caring presence
• Provide a safe, supportive, consistent environment
• Have realistic expectations
• Intervening across systems
• Ongoing therapy ONLY if symptoms develop or
continue
All rights reserved © 2004 Bruce D. Perry
HELPING ABUSED AND TRAUMATIZED CHILDREN
• Do not be afraid to talk about the traumatic event.
• Provide a consistent, predictable pattern for the day.
• Be nurturing, comforting and affectionate.
• Discuss your expectations for behavior and your style of
“discipline” with the child.
• Talk with the child.
• Watch for re-enactment, avoidance and physiological hyperreactivity.
• Give the child “choices” and some sense of control.
• If you have questions, ask for help.
All rights reserved © 2004 Bruce D. Perry
Relationships
Genetics
Environment
All rights reserved © 2004 Bruce D. Perry
-Harvey Milk
References
Anda, R. F., Felitti, V. J., Bremner, J. D., Walker, J. D., Whitfield, C. Perry, B. D., Dube, S. R. & Giles, W. H. (2006). The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood: A
convergence of evidence from neurobiology and epidemiology. European Archives of Psychiatry Clinical Neuroscience, 256: 174-186.
Abel, N. & Oliver, B. (nd). Indiana School Discipline Data In-School and Out-of-School Suspensions Brief Report. Children’s Policy and Law Initiative, Indianapolis, IN.
Indiana Youth Institute. (2015). KIDS COUNT in Indiana Data Book: A Profile of Child Well-being
Juvenile Justice Institute (2009). The Costs of Confinement: Why Good Juvenile Justice Policies Make Good Fiscal Sense. Washington, DC.
Cohn, A. (2001). Positive Behavioral Supports: Information for Educators http://www.nasponline.org/resources/factsheets/pbs_fs.aspx
Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence (2013). Domestic Violence Service Statistics July 1, 2012- June 30, 2013. http://www.icadvinc.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/2012-2013-IndianaService-Stats-FINAL.pdf
James, B. (1994). Handbook for the treatment of attachment-trauma in children. New York, NY: The Free Press.
Justice Policy Institute (2010). Healing invisible wounds: Why investing in trauma-informed care for children makes sense. www.justicepolicy.org
National Child Traumatic Stress Network . The Effects of Trauma on School and Learning. www.nctnet.org/resources/audiences/school-personnel/effects-of-trauma.
Pappano, L. (2014). Trauma-sensitive schools: A new framework for reaching troubled students. Harvard Education Letter (30)3.
Perry, B. D. (2004). Neglect: How poverty of experience disrupts development. www. Childtrauma. Org
Perry, B. D. & Szalzvitz, M.(2006). The boy who was raised as a dog: What traumatized children can teach us about loss, love and healing. NY: Basic Books.
Siegel, D. (1999). The developing mind: How relationships and the brain interact to shape who we are. Guilford Press: New York
Skiba, R. (2013). Understanding disproportionality in school discipline in the nation and in Indiana. Summit on School Discipline.
Skiba, R. (2000). Zero tolerance, zero evidence. Policy Research Report. Indiana Education Policy Center.
Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (2013). Helping Traumatized Children Learn: Creating and advocating for trauma-sensitive schools. Boston: Massachusetts Advocates for Children.
US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (March, 2014). Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot (School Discipline). Washington, DC.
Contact Information
Sheila Dennis, MSW
Senior Lecturer
Indiana University School of Social
Work
317.274.1378
dennis2@iupui.edu
Anita Osborn, MSW
Child Welfare Scholars Program
Student Coordinator/Academic Specialist
Indiana University School of Social
Work
317.274.2965
aosborn@iupui.edu