Our Point of View

THE PROBLEM: Pushout

 

In South LA and similar communities, economic, social, and political forces are creating a system of pushout rather than equal opportunity and access in our public schools. Ineffective educational policies and practices have intensified our social inequities. South LA children are more than likely going to schools that do not have the basics of a quality education in place. Oftentimes, school does not lead to college but low-wage employment, poverty, prison, or the military as the only real options.

 

How does this “school-to-prison train” start? It starts when schools begin to label and isolate children and youth who fall behind in learning and/or who exhibit behaviors that are difficult to accommodate. It starts when school staff do not pay attention to early warning signs of learning and behavioral issues, and do not call parents or talk to the child to get at the root of a problem before they become serious barriers. It starts when adults view students as "problems" and standardized test scores rather than "contributors" and growing human beings.

 

Why does it start? It starts when school conditions are not high quality and do not reflect care and high expectations for students. Whether they are due to lack of funding, political will, leadership, or good management, inadequate school conditions often lead to practices and habits that expect little of both school personnel and students.

 

For example, when the majority of schools in a community have:

• insufficient school conditions, such as intense overcrowding;
  
  
• unqualified teachers and high teacher turnover each year;
  
  
• long-term substitutes and teacher shortages;
  
  
• humiliating and alienating punishments for behavior, such as first-resort suspensions; and
  
  
• chaotic, reactive school environments between adults and students:

 

parents and students often report:

• children academically failing year after year without intervention;

• unresponsiveness to and labeling of parents who ask questions and demand improvements;
  
  
• students who are behind being counseled to leave school early and finish at a G.E.D. or other alternative program; and
  
  
• more than two-thirds of 9th graders not making it to 12th grade and graduation.

 

Pushout is a combination of these conditions and practices that are both hidden and open, and the negative effects of which build up over time. Any one of these conditions and practices can discourage and deter children from staying in school and learning, especially on top of the pressures caused by poverty and racism. A “drop out” is often a student who was gradually pushed out years earlier.

 

 

THE SOLUTION: Ending the “school-to-prison train” by stopping PUSHOUT

 

CADRE believes the solution rests in parents leading a movement for systemic social change that stops pushout. This means grassroots parents changing the rules of the game (educational policies) so that public schools not only provide a quality education to all children, in every neighborhood, but also function as community institutions that value social justice and respond to community needs.

 

This requires a public school system that shares power with parents. It also requires schools to respect parents when they are working to hold them accountable for respecting the civil and human rights of each child (educational practices).

 

Parents, regardless of race, income, language, or immigration status, must have the power, access, and tools to participate in stopping the pushout crisis with their insight, decision-making, and leadership. Parents must be able to protect opportunities to learn and public education for present and future generations. Without the commitment to educating all children regardless of where they live, public schools will not survive, and our most vulnerable communities of color in poverty will not thrive.

 

 

THE ACTION WE TAKE: Parent organizing and building power through a parent-led institution

 

CADRE creates this power through community organizing, the basis of which is grassroots leadership development and building people-led community institutions.

 

CADRE provides parents with an independent and creative space in which to develop themselves as active community leaders with political power . Their experiences and goals for the community form the basis of our issue/policy campaigns, advocacy, capacity-building, and coalitions. This type of involvement engages parents in political education, leadership skills development, shared decision-making and planning, action research, policy understanding, and collective advocacy.

 

Parents get involved with CADRE through our neighborhood door-to-door canvassing, open door meetings, and referrals. As CADRE members, parents experience:

 

1. Awareness of their rights and membership in a community:

   Parents have opportunities to draw out their knowledge and experiences through one-on-one's and meetings. In these settings parents are exposed to their civil and human rights. Sharing stories brings to light patterns in the community and fosters parent-to-parent support.
   
   

2. Education about power in the public educational system and common identity as change agents:

   Parents learn about the root causes of issues they personally experience. Their stories and testimonies serve as "data" that document the systemic nature of problems in schools and shed light on untold realities. Parents increase their understanding of the “systems” which shape the quality of their community lives. They also are introduced to strategies for making social change both individually and as a group of parents.
   
   

3. Learning and practicing collective action and building an organization:

   Parents continue their understanding of power and systemic social change. Parent participate in developing an alternative school reform agenda that challenges the criminalization of children in South LA. In helping to plan our issue campaigns, parents actively learn and make decisions about strategies and tactics to use their power to influence policymakers. This includes speaking and engaging the media and building relationships with other organizations to win new policies, monitor their implementation, produce insightful research, and hold the public school system accountable.

 

Throughout this process, parents also see the connection between addressing issues and building CADRE as an organization. Parents also set goals for CADRE's long-term impact and organizational track record among parents.

 

Please go to "What We Do” to read about the current issue/policy campaigns.

   CADRE © 2008 8510 1/2 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90003 • Phone: (323) 752-9997 • info@cadre-la.org • Design by Tumis.com