IU Northwest to Host Discussion on Shattering the ‘School to Prison Pipeline’ March 25

rot4Community leaders to discuss the disproportionality of outcomes for disciplined students within the educational system

Indiana University Northwest invites the community to attend “Shattering the Silences,” a public forum held twice a year on campus to address topics, issues and concerns relative to diversity and inclusion.

The forum, beginning at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 25 in the Bruce W. Bergland Auditorium, will focus on the “School to Prison Pipeline” and its effect on youth of color in Northwest Indiana.

Experts say that there appears to be a systematic mechanism that tends to direct youth, particularly those of African-American and Latino descent, out of schools and into prisons. The purpose of the conversation is to examine the conditions that tend to lead youth in this direction and discuss interventions intended to reverse this trend.

In response to recent recommendations from the U.S. Department of Education, seven community leaders will discuss current efforts to educate local youth, and the disproportionality of outcomes for students within our educational system.

A brief presentation on local student outcomes by IU Northwest Assistant Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs, Monica Solinas-Saunders, Ph.D., will follow the panel discussion.

Panelist include: · Ken Patrick Barry, Director, Gary Youth Services Bureau · Bernard Carter, Prosecutor, Lake County · Fred Green, Gary Middle College Student · Joann Price, Public Defense Attorney, Lake County Juvenile Justice Center, and Lake County Coordinator, Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative · Cheryl Pruitt, Ph.D., Superintendent, Gary Community School Corporation · Laura Smith-Wynn, Founder and Executive Director, Indiana Parenting Institute · Hon. Tom Stefaniak, Juvenile Court Judge, Lake County

The event is sponsored by the IU Northwest Diversity Advisory Council and the One Book…One Campus…One Community Committee.

For more information, please contact Tierra Jackson at (219) 980-6596 or jacksoti@iun.edu.

For information about parking at IU Northwest, including a new practice for issuing temporary visitors’ permits, please visit http://www.iun.edu/parking/.