Words by Nick Slay
The Center for American Progress or (CAP) recent analysis reports that nearly 250 preschoolers are expelled a day. What you may find as even more surprising, is that out of those 250 scholars, a vast majority are black students. It is a practice that worsens along racial lines and disproportionately affects the educational opportunities of these young scholars, as well as raises the serious question of about discrimination in our local school systems.
The shocking data collected by the 2016 National Survey of Children’s health, which includes stats from public and private preschool institutions is that: among the 50,000 students that were suspended and the 17,000 that were expelled is that most school participate in exclusionary discipline. Cap used the data from this survey to come to the conclusion that black students are unfairly targeted in disciplinary practices. The largest predictors for being suspended were being a boy or being black.
As inflammatory as this information may sound we must consider the, “preschool to college” pipeline and the, “preschool to prison” pipeline. The research shows that students who attend preschool are better prepared for kindergarten and are more likely to contribute to the economy as adults years later. What also must be taken into consideration is the long-term results that high quality preschools prepare students socially as well as academically for elementary school.
“Research shows over and over again that preschool is both cost-effective and that students are better prepared to contribute to the economy in the long run. All children deserve access to high-quality preschool—no matter where they live—and failing to make it accessible means losing significant economic benefits in the long run,” Cristina Novoa, a policy analyst for Early Childhood Policy at CAP is quoted as saying in a statement.