I have written a ton about the criminalization of young black men.   Over the past few years,  I believe that a lion’s share of this criminalization has taken place in schools across the country.  Today, the Schott Foundation has released a report that should be absolutely galvanizing for those who care about prison abolition.  We are NEVER going to abolish prisons if we do not improve educational outcomes for all youth but for young men of color in particular.

Yes We Can: The 2010 Schott 50 State Report on Black Males in Public Education reveals that the overall 2007/8 graduation rate for Black males in the U.S. was only 47 percent.  Half of the states have graduation rates for Black male students below the national average.  The report highlights concerns that New York’s graduation rate for its Regents diploma is only 25 percent for Black male students.  New York City, the district with the nation’s highest enrollment of Black students, only graduates 28 percent of its Black male students with Regents diplomas on time. Overall, each year over 100,000 Black male students in New York City alone do not graduate from high school with their entering cohort. These statistics—and the other alarming data in this fourth biennial report— point to a national education and economic crisis.

Please take a minute out of your day to click on the following link to find out how young black men are doing in your state in terms of education outcomes and disciplinary actions.  I guarantee you that you will be infuriated by these numbers.  Please be angry and then take positive, affirmative action. Without addressing this issues, we have no chance of shutting off the school to prison pipeline.

The Schott Foundation 50 State Black Boys Report: Individual State Report Cards.