How to Change the Game for African American Students: Eliminating the Pipeline to Prison by Getting Students to Grade Level

Alene Mason • Cahn Fellow 2018

At Scott Joplin Elementary School 60% of students are not meeting grade level standards, which means they are not College and Career Ready. Education is the GATE KEEPER and only 4 out of 10 students can walk through the gate. During this leadership journey, we experienced an awakening as leaders, uncovered our vulnerablitles and discovered that we were setting our students up for failure, creating a pipeline to prison. We took immediate action and designed systems and structures for success, provided continuous feedback and created the right type of experiences to change the game for African American students. The impact was profound and transformational not only for the students, staff and parents, but it transformed us as leaders. We began to see ourselves in our team. Find out how we changed the game!