In 2014, a report came out stating 5% of the worlds humans are behind prison bars. Of that 5 percent 25percent come from the United States The last few years trends also showed alarming percentages of having learning disabilities especially those relating to reading compression and grasp of English.

Materials and methods

The project first started with an interest in statistical data showing uneven trends in populations of Non-Whites serving sentences for minor and medium level offenses

Materials needed for this presentation were articles from journal excerpts by reputable sources and communication with my professors

I asked several questions:

What is the break down of population in prison and locals jails based on race?

Do policies in the school systems contribute to the increase of students from non affluent families targeted by local correctional officers resulting in suspension, expulsion or even arrest? Are there any contributing factors that assisted in detainment? If so what were they and how did they impact the given situation?

Results

Conclusion:Kathryn McDermott’s work ,evaluating the impact of President Johnsons Elementary and Secondary Act, fifty years later, explains we are still affected by segregated school boundaries in the United States. The increased police presence in the public schools has lead to a disproportionate increase of student with learning disabilities and non white backgrounds finding themselves suspended or expelled from school for minor infractions in Boston and Springfield Ma.

The school to prison Pipeline has caused massive increased percentages of students of color from poor communities targeted by the Zero Tolerance Policy. Students in the Boston and Springfield areas, where populations lived, higher percentage of African American and latino/a populations lived experienced higher levels of detainment through school policies, leading to an increased involvement with the law later down the road. Many students targeted by Zero Tolerance and impacted by George Bushes; No Child Let Behind Act in 2005 exacerbated the percentage of students who were likely to drop out of school before completing a high diploma.

As students failed out of school, many continued to encounter more run ins with the police. The likelihood of a person without economical means tend serve longer sentences for minor crimes. The three strikes rule takes into account any violations a student may have incurred during school.

Catherine (CD) LefebvreJunior Honors Student Major: STPEC

Literature citedDermott, Kathryn, David Gamson, and Douglas Reed. "The Elementary and Secondary Education Act at

Fifty: Aspirations, Effects, and Limitations." The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 1, no. 3 (2015): 1-29. Accessed March 25, 2016. http://www.rsfjournal.org/doi/full/10.7758/RSF.2015.1.3.01.

Resmovits, Joy. "Yes, Schools Do Discriminate Against Students Of Color -- Reports." The Huffington Post. Accessed April 21, 2016. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/13/school-discipline-race_n_4952322.html.

Leone, Pete, Christine Christle, Michael Nelson, Russle Skiba, Andy Frey, and Kristine Jovilette. "School Failure, Race, and Disability: Promoting Positive Outcomes, Decreasing Vulnerability for Involvement with the Juvenile Delinquency System." Accessed April 14, 2016. file:///E:/school failure, race, and disability.pdf.

"Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 - Social Welfare History Project." Social Welfare History Project. 2011. Accessed April 13, 2016. http://www.socialwelfarehistory.com/programs/education/elementary-and-secondary-education-act-of-1965/.

"Massachusetts’ School-To-Prison Pipeline, Explained." Learninglab. Accessed April 21, 2016. http://learninglab.wbur.org/topics/massachusetts-school-to-prison-pipeline-explained/.