Toolkit on Organizing to Combat the School-to-Prison Pipeline

Welcome!  Thanks for taking the time to explore the many resources contained within this toolkit designed to support groups organizing to combat the school-to-prison pipeline.  In this comprehensive repository, you will find interactive workshop ideas, reading lists, links to videos, short yet impactful infographics and one-pagers — all to help you build your arsenal against school push out.  By no means is this toolkit all-inclusive, but will hopefully give users a great spring board for discussions and activities that lead to targeted action. Contents are arranged in multiple categories and even cross referenced if applicable to more than one area.  We want you to take some time to look around and enjoy the great resources we know you’ll find useful!

This toolkit, produced by the Dignity in Schools Campaign and Professor Mark Warren at the University of Massachusetts Boston, provides resources for organizers, community-based groups, youth, parents, educators and advocates in the movement to stop school pushout and create inclusive and restorative school policies and cultures. The toolkit includes resources to assist groups to build a base of parent, youth and community participants, develop leadership of those most affected by school pushout, conduct participatory action research, educate members about how the school-to-prison pipeline operates, develop campaign strategies for policy change, and create positive and restorative alternatives to punitive school discipline practices. Resources include training manuals and guides, workshop materials, fact sheets, and sample reports, policies and campaign strategies from successful organizing efforts across the country.

The toolkit was developed with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

A Special Thank You To:

Members of the Dignity in Schools Campaign STPP Book and Toolkit Committee:
Lorraine Wright, I Vote for Me
Marsha Weissman, Center for Community Alternatives
Joyce Parker, Citizens for a Better Greenville
Maisie Chin, CADRE
Liz Sullivan-Yuknis, NESRI
Zakiya Sankara-Jabar, Dignity in Schools Campaign
Tafari Melisizwe, Dignity in Schools Campaign

Staff at the University of Massachusetts Boston:
Professor Mark Warren
Mary Krebs
Lindsay Morgia

We want to convey our very special appreciation to Mary Krebs and Lorraine Wright for their leadership and coordination in researching and preparing resources for the toolkit!