I knew, when I finally picked this up, that it would be something special. It's probably why I waited so long, full of apprehension that I'd be ready for everything I'd read/learn, and unsure I'd be able to accurately express my thoughts and reactions. I wasn't wrong. And yet, as I was reading and realized I was highlighting and bookmarking like, half of the book, that spelling out all I'd learned isn't the point of this review. I'm here to tell you that it's worth the read. It's a book anyone who works with young people, in schools, or has kids, should read. And I'll give a few highlights of what Morris covers, sure. But I'll also say that there is no way I can convey the depth of knowledge and research and information and recommendation/guidance it contains. You really do have to read the whole thing for yourself. 

 

First, a quick blurb courtesy of Goodreads, to give some context: "Just 16 percent of female students in the USA, Black girls make up more than one-third of all girls with a school-related arrest. The first book to tell these untold stories, Pushout exposes a world of confined potential and supports the growing movement to address the policies, practices, and cultural illiteracy that push countless students out of school and into unhealthy, unstable, and often unsafe futures." 

 

Now, to "review." Morris paints a vivid picture of how the criminalization of Black girls (and insofar as research is available and allows, Morris is inclusive in her definition of girl, and the spectrum with which gender can present) leads to their puhout from school/educational environments. Throughout the book, she addresses cultural norms/beliefs about Black girls actions and attitudes, poverty and socioeconomic concerns, sexual trafficking and exploitation, biases and school policies and arbitrary enforcement of said policies, unclear school-to-school/system-to-system regulations and communication, the general lack of unique focus given to Black girls (they're more often folded in to "girls" or "Black people" without acknowledging the intersectionality of race and gender), the compressing of Black girlhood and womanhood, low expectations and an allowance for failure, a lack of solid/healthy student-teacher relationships, and many other ways perception and historical context affect the way Black girls are treated in/around school. All of this is supported by and exemplified through research (statistics), case studies and interviews.   

 

However, Morris doesn't stop there. That is the majority of the book, and, to be quite honest, enraging. But Morris also takes the opportunity that the reader's fury creates, and provides a call to action, with suggestions for what one can do, or advocate for, to affect change on this social issue. She identifies six themes that emerged throughout her research that would allow for cultivation of higher quality and more beneficial learning environments for Black girls. These are: "(1) the protection of girls from violence and victimization in schools; (2) proactive discussions in schools about healthy intimate relationships; (3) strong student-teacher relationships; (4) school-based wraparound services; (5) an increased focus on student learning coupled with a reduced emphasis on discipline and surveillance; and (6) consistent school credit recovery processes between alternative schools and traditional district or community schools." And she provides concrete examples and recommendations to address each area (including a spectacular visual graphic bringing it all together for ease of reader intake; see p.193).  

 

Throughout this book, Morris presents all the experiences of the girls she interviews in exactly their words, with their perspectives and experiences central and forefront (as it should be). But she also allows that we, the adults and teachers and staff working with young people, are human. We are dealing with low resources and funding and time and our own biases and sometimes must make do with what we have, which is (when working in public health and education, especially) never enough. There is a recognition of that, which is important. And yet, that does not excuse us from, at the very least, making a constant and consistent effort to counteract those first reaction biases and doing whatever is within our "power" to advocate for change and policy updates to be more culturally inclusive/competent. Morris does what she can to help us meet those goals, and provide whatever support we can to the Black girls in our orbit. Specifically, I want to highlight the Appendices. Appendix A is a few sets of common Q and A's (for girls, for parents and community members, for educators) that are so incredibly helpful and useful for getting started and bridging gaps and communicating. Freaking spectacular. Appendix B provides concrete examples of alternatives to punishment (restorative justice, in particular), along with details on how fidelity in implementation is key to success, as well as acknowledgment of the limitations of research currently in existence for these methods.   

 

Look, this book was so good, so important. I reviewed and got research support for things I already knew and learned new things as well. It's absolutely infuriating. Be prepared. But there is also space for hope for the future. We can, and must, ask ourselves: "What assumptions are being made about the conditions of Black girls? How might Black girls be uniquely impacted by school and other disciplinary policies? How are organizations, systems, and policies creating an environment that is conducive or not conducive to the healthy development of Black girls?" I highly recommend this for anyone who works or interacts with youth, especially Black girls, in schools, the justice system, etc. Like I said, this review barely scratches the surface. Go read and learn and do for yourself. 

 

"This book presents narratives that I hope will inspire us all to think about the multiple ways in which racial, gender, and socioeconomic inequity converge to marginalize Black girls in their learning environments—relegating many to an inferior quality of education because they are perceived as defiant, delinquent, aggressive, too sexy, too proud, and too loud to be treated with dignity in their schools." 

 

"The “attitude” often attributed to Black girls casts as undesirable the skills of being astute at reading their location—where they sit along the social hierarchy—and overcoming the attendant obstacles. These were lessons learned through generations of struggle, and these lessons sit at the apex of what provides Black women and girls the audacity to demand being treated with dignity." 

 

"Globally, education is by and large recognized as a key pathway out of poverty. However, not every type of education opens up that path, and the quality of education has everything to do with being prepared to thrive as an adult." 

 

"...teaching is hard work. So is learning." 

 

"...without intentional efforts to combat old ways and norms, schools routinely function as institutions that reproduce dominant social ideas, hierarchies, and systems of oppression." 

 

"What can (and should) be developed and nurtured in educational settings, but almost never is, is a deeper awareness of the numerous social factors—related to race, gender, sexuality, disability status, or other identities—that have the power to trigger Black girls and shape their interactions with people in schools. Every girl is unique, but understanding widely shared experiences connected to structural forces bigger than us all would go a long way toward supporting the success and education of Black girls." 

 

"Throughout years of talking with girls, they have consistently, in both quiet and robust ways, inquired about why their bodies are objectified and their minds dismissed." 

 

"Histories of victimization and addiction, poor student-teacher relationships, being subject to zero tolerance and harsh discipline along with uninspired and poorly executed curriculum, and the school credit mismatch—independently and together, all these factors function to push Black girls in juvenile court schools further away from all schooling. While few would disagree that the ultimate goal is to prevent more girls from going to correctional facilities at all, more often than not juvenile court schools exacerbate the problems more than they contribute to the solutions. They should be serving as an important rehabilitative structure for detained girls." 

 

"A school with professionals devoted to developing, not unraveling, Black girls’ academic well-being and their mental health would provide a foundation for cultivating new ways to respond to their emotional, physical, and sexual trauma so they don’t repeat mistakes (in relationships with friends, teachers, family, and sexual partners) that spiral them further into poverty, crime, addiction, violence, or worse." 

 

"The absence of culturally competent and gender-responsive methods of teaching—approaches that respond to girls who stand at the crossroads of racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, and poverty—sets up a criminalizing pathway for girls." 

 

"In our haste to teach children social rules, we sometimes fail to examine whether these rules are rooted in oppression—racial, patriarchal, or any other form. Ultimately such a failure undermines the full expression and learning of Black girls." 

 

"There are no throwaway children. We can, and must, do better." 

 

"Our nationwide culture of surveillance and criminalization is much more pervasive and life-threatening than even the largest prison. Its reach into our schools and our classrooms has reinforced latent ideas of Black inferiority and cast our girls as angry little women who are too self-absorbed and consumed by themselves and their faults to participate in school communities." 

 

"Our responses to Black girls must embrace a strong anti-victimization narrative that produces safe learning environments—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—and fosters a creative and expressive pedagogy to combat racial and gender oppression in the twenty-first century." 

 

"Most importantly, we must all recognize that a racial justice practice without a gender-inclusive thrust is nothing more than a moot exercise. [...] This book’s exploration into the criminalization of Black girls in schools provides an opportunity to center Black girls in our discussions about zero tolerance, school discipline, dress codes, child victimization, and the impact of increasing surveillance in our nation’s public schools." 

 

"Each of these actions is also about establishing a climate of mutual respect. Respect is the foundation for developing that relationship. Contrary to the rhetorical refrain in schools throughout the country, respect—especially in the context of schools—is not something that should first have to be earned. It’s a human right. It is about engaging each person with dignity and honoring that she or he has valid thoughts, feelings, and actions. While respect can be eroded, lost, and earned back, every child should be granted it." 

 

"School safety is so much more than enforcement. It involves prevention, nurturing, and collaboration." 

 

"Successful educators and students alike recognize that at the heart of their positive outcome strategy is a commitment to nurturing the relationships between everyone who is involved in the learning process. When the communication is transparent, the learning can flow. When the expectations are co-constructed and clear, there are no surprises. When the well-being of the student is centered, she is not criminalized or marginalized for making mistakes. Instead, she is engaged as a developing human being—a learning person—and responded to first with love, and then with the intention to support and repair the harm that has been caused."