by Hollie Nielsen, AWCC Scotland
Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools provides interesting but troubling reading. Author Monique W. Morris describes, often in narratives that individualize the problem, how Black girls’ behavior in middle and high schools is crimininalized, pushing the girls out of school. This pushing out makes it difficult for the girls to obtain the quality education envisioned by SDG 4. In addition, the education provided to the Black girls in juvenile court schools is anything but quality; the girls are even punished and excluded for asking questions – “adults with authority have misinterpreted [asking questions] as being angry and combative.” (Kindle, p. 79) This pushes them out further, making it difficult for them to finish high school, let alone continue their education, despite their desire to attend college and their knowledge that education is their best pathway to economic success and a better life (SDG Targets 4.3 & 4.4). For girls in juvenile court school, “their desire to learn was quickly quashed by an emphasis on discipline, uninspired teaching, and a curriculum that was often driven by simple worksheet packets…” (Kindle, p. 145) Ms. Morris hopes to start a robust conversation about, and re-evaluation of, the criminalizing treatment of Black girls in district schools and court juvenile schools. At the end of her book, she provides an appendix of “Questions and Answers for Girls, Parents, Community Members, and Educators” and an appendix of “Alternatives to Punishment” to further the conversation.
