Policy Statement

With a focus on breaking the school to prison pipeline, Unite for Students calls on the San Francisco Board of Education and the Superintendent of Schools, Richard Carranza, to focus on restorative justice over zero-tolerance; encourage parental involvement in schools; and ensure that all students have access to college and A-G counseling. The school-to-prison pipeline, … Continue reading →

Community Workshop Schedule

Unite for Students is pleased to announce we have partnered with Mo’ Magic to facilitate parental involvement workshops at the Backpack Give Away on August 11, 2012. “A Community Workshop Series: Breaking the School-to-Prison Pipeline” will take place at the Ella Hill Hutch Community Center in the Western Addition (1050 McAllister St., corner of Webster), and … Continue reading →

JJIE examines the national juvenile solitary confinement problem

The Juvenile Justice Information Exchange has released a new piece chronicling the widespread, inhumane treatment of juveniles who are subjected to solitary confinement, and the panoply of problems the practice brings about.  “Juvenile Solitary Confinement: Modern-Day ‘Torture’ in the US” casts a wide net, but spends much of the investigation looking at California, home to … Continue reading →

New film “Kids for Cash” exposes corruption in juvenile justice system

Acclaimed producer Robert May’s directorial debut details a corruption scandal that rocked Pennsylvania, but its implications drive straight at the heart of the nation’s frequently flawed and often tragic approach to juvenile justice. “Kids for Cash,” which has been playing at select theaters since February and now comes to Los Angeles starting March 7, is ostensibly a … Continue reading →

UPDATE: Bill to reform solitary confinement for juveniles tabled until next session

Last week, proponents of ending the abuse of solitary confinement practices against juvenile detainees received disheartening news: California’s Senate Bill 61 will not be passed during this session of the California Legislature. SB 61 looked poised to be approved by the state Assembly after winning passage by the Senate, but the Assembly’s Appropriations Committee drastically … Continue reading →

Op-Ed from Unite for Students member spotlights abuses of juvenile justice system

On September 4, the San Francisco Examiner ran a guest editorial by Evan Brown of Unite for Students that calls for an end to the practice of subjecting juvenile detainees to solitary confinement. The editorial highlights many of the negative consequences of a system that is poorly overseen and haphazardly administered. The misuse of solitary … Continue reading →

STPP Back in the News, But Little Has Changed

They say no news is good news, but sadly in the instance of the school-to-prison pipeline, that is not recently the case. To be sure, in the past weeks we have seen the release of a number of studies and reports regarding the disparate treatment between white and non-white students in public schools, and these … Continue reading →

Unite for Students Honored by CA Senate

Sen. Mark Leno and the California State Senate recently honored Unite for Students for its work bringing attention to the school-to-prison pipeline issue. Leno, who represents San Francisco and other areas in the California Senate, was the main signatory on the commendation, which was approved by the Senate and presented to Unite for Students volunteers. … Continue reading →

Reaching Out

Unite for Students with Mayor Ed Lee at National Night Out

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A-G Courses and Ending the School to Prison Pipeline

The UC and CSU state systems require that applicants complete the so-called A-G academic requirements, which means that without these courses, students are ineligible to apply for California’s public university systems.  Many students lack either the opportunity or the proper guidance to ensure that they take these required courses and as a result are unable … Continue reading →

Exposing the “Cradle to Prison Pipeline”

In a very interesting piece “Ending the Cradle to Prison Pipeline and Mass Incarceration — the New American Jim Crow,” Marian Wright Edelman outlines the issues of the school to prison pipeline and mass incarceration.  As president of the Children’s Defense Fund, Edelman explains how difficult it is for many children of color in the … Continue reading →