Official Review: Voices from the School to Prison Pipeline

mmm17 · Post by **mmm17** » 24 Mar 2019, 09:48

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Voices from the School to Prison Pipeline" by Ron King Jr..]

3 out of 4 stars

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In Voices from the School to Prison Pipeline: A Black Male Educator’s Memoir, Ron King Jr. seeks to analyse how deficient education, along with high unemployment rates and cultural omission, may result in leading African American students into a pipeline towards prison. He addresses the issues that beget and perpetuate multiple forms of racism in American society in general, but most particularly in the classroom. The author bases his reflections on the challenges he faced as a teacher in inner-city neighborhoods with high levels of poverty and a predominance of African American students. According to him, the book “involves a bird’s eye view of black life in America.”

The book is very thorough in its analysis of the subject. Plenty of related topics are addressed – such as public policies, teacher’s salaries, disciplinary actions, and even the role of black churches. In the author’s opinion, churches have lost their role as a cornerstone of advocacy. As a result, he believes black children have fallen victim to a white-washed curriculum.

In a very touching personal account, King Jr. examines the phases of his own process of cultural awakening, and then goes on to explore ways to mitigate the negative stereotypes fed to black students. He posits that fighting bias requires counter-storytelling – replacing the negative stories with positive narratives of African Americans as educated and dependable citizens. Also, hiring qualified and culturally competent black professionals. He refers to this methodology as “Culturally Responsive Mirrors and Modeling”, which is described in great detail in the book.

The author is clearly qualified and experienced, as well as passionate about the subject. These are noteworthy positive points, in my opinion. His personal and professional experiences offered him an invaluable perspective on race relations. The tone he adopts is very assertive, sometimes a bit angry, as he unveils the social practices and mechanisms that reproduce racial privilege. Using a heartfelt and bold mode of expression, King Jr. examines how and why the education and treatment of people of color in America remains fundamentally unequal.

Lastly, I rate Voices from the School to Prison Pipeline 3 out of 4 stars. I’m taking a star away because I found quite a few editing errors in it. I believe the book is not yet in its most polished form and would greatly benefit from professional editing. I feel it will appeal to readers interested in education and race issues. Readers less inclined to discuss these topics might not like it.

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Voices from the School to Prison Pipeline
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Post by **kandscreeley** » 01 Apr 2019, 09:14

It's too bad about the errors, but I appreciate the author's viewpoint. It sounds like it's coming from a place of knowledge. I also am glad that he posits a few fixes to the situation. Thanks for the review.

Alicia09 · Post by **Alicia09** » 01 Apr 2019, 12:15

I'm a teacher and I see a lot of unfair disciplinary actions that target black students so I would love to read this book. I agree with the author's idea that we need more positive stories of successful black people but the challenge is going to revolve around changing such a widespread belief system.

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 01 Apr 2019, 12:24

This sounds like a very meaningful book regarding racial relations in America and what needs to be done in order to change things. I like being able to see a teacher's perspective regarding this issue. Thanks for the review!

Juliana_Isabella · Post by **Juliana_Isabella** » 01 Apr 2019, 13:52

It sounds like this would be a good book for people involved in educational policy.

chiefsimplex · Post by **chiefsimplex** » 01 Apr 2019, 14:05

I like the expressed realisation that ,crime is largely a consequence of inadequacies within the education system.I also liked the author's noting the racist ramifications. Thanks for sharing.

DogoMulla · Post by **DogoMulla** » 01 Apr 2019, 16:17

I believe this issue won't go away any time soon. I always appreciate a voice for the "voiceless". Something must be done. Thank you for your well-done review.

Shania Gill · Post by **Shania Gill** » 01 Apr 2019, 19:38

I guess the issue won't go away soon

mmm17 · Post by **mmm17** » 08 Apr 2019, 08:06

DogoMulla wrote: ↑01 Apr 2019, 16:17 I believe this issue won't go away any time soon. I always appreciate a voice for the "voiceless". Something must be done. Thank you for your well-done review.

Thank you for your kind comments! I also enjoy hearing the voiceless.