Advocacy Strategies

This section of the website is currently under development. We are gathering information at the local level from advocates, organizers, educators and lawyers about effective policy, legislative and organizing strategies for how to combat pushout.

Below are links to existing resources found in other sections of the website.

Advocacy Guides

  • Alternative Schools and Pushout: A Research and Advocacy Guide
    http://www.dignityinschools.org/DSC_Alternative_Schools_Guide.pdf
    A Collaborative Publication of the Dignity in Schools Campaign, Fall 2007
    This guide was developed after the DSC held a tele-conference call in May 2007 on alternative schools and pushout. It includes summaries of research on alternative schools, an advocacy checklist of steps to take when a child is referred to an alternative school, and legal strategies for challenging alternative schools that are not ensuring the right to quality education for students.
  • Bringing A Human Rights Vision to Public Schools: A Training Manual for Organizers
    http://www.nesri.org/programs/education_manual.html
    Produced by NESRI and CADRE, this manual is a resource for advocates, organizers, community members, parents and youth interested in using human rights as a tool for improving public education in the U.S. The manual includes information on basic human rights principles and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, handouts and exercises to develop campaign strategies, and information on documenting human rights violations in schools.
  • Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Action Kit
    http://www.advancementproject.org/ourwork/opportunity-to-learn/schoolhouse-to-jailhouse/resources.php
    The Schoolhouse to Jailhouse action kit is aimed at helping advocates organize campaigns against the over use of zero tolerance school discipline and the growing reliance on police and juvenile courts as disciplinarians. This action kit provides guidance on how to dissect the schoolhouse to jailhouse track by: Collecting information and data about school discipline policies and practices and Analyzing and organizing the data.

 

Parents and Youth Taking Action

Visit our Parent and Youth pages for examples of groups that are organizing to make change in their school systems.

 

Resources on Pushout

Search the summaries in our Resources on Pushout section for articles on successful advocacy and reform efforts, such as:

  • Successful Strategy to Combat Illegal School Discharges in New York City
    Research Article
    Hyman, Elisa, “School Push-Outs: An Urban Case Study,” Clearinghouse Review Journal of Poverty Law and Policy, 684 (2005).
    Summary and Link>>
  • Positive Models for Discipline that Prevent Racial Bias
    Advocacy Report
    Sandler, Susan, “Turning To Each Other, Not On Each Other: How School Communities Prevent Racial Bias in School Discipline,” Justice Matters Institute (2000).
    Summary and Link >>
  • Case Study: White River School District's Implementation of a Positive School Climate Framework
    Research Article
    Jacobsen, Mike D. and Marcie R. Polin, “A District's Role in Building a Safe and Civil School,” Principal Leadership, Vol. 7, No. 4, (Dec 2006).
    Summary and Link>>
  • Case Study: The “Los Angeles’ BEST” After School Program Decreases the Likelihood of Dropout
    Research Paper
    Huang, Denise, et al, “Keeping Kids in School: An LA’s BEST Example, A Study Examining the Long-Term Impact of LA’s BEST on Students’ Dropout Rates,” National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) (2005).
    Summary and Link>>

 

Guides for Implementing Positive Discipline and Preventing Pushout

Visit our Educators page for examples of practical guides for implementing alternatives to zero tolerance discipline and preventing pushout that we have identified.