Pitt’s Center for Urban Education within the School of Education will host its annual Summer Educator Forum (CUESEF) from July 18-20, bringing together scholars, educators and researchers from across the country -- and as far as Turkey -- to discuss the theme of dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline.
The school-to-prison pipeline is the process during which students — particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds — are pushed out of schools, into disciplinary institutions, onto the streets and, ultimately, into the criminal justice system.
Held in Pitt’s Alumni Hall and the Wyndham Hotel next door, the 2019 CUESEF is open to K-12 educators as well as those in higher ed. The seminar includes intensive forums for participants to re-imagine policies, practices and politics in education systems, in addition to a series of practitioner workshops and research panels.
“This year's CUESEF will underscore the importance of collective dialogue for thinking about justice in educational practice,” said CUE Director T. Elon Dancy. “We look forward to learning with a diverse group of researchers, activists and practitioners about what we can and must do about the school/prison relationship.”
“We are all excited about working together to actively strategize and hopefully enact ways of disrupting and demolishing this destructive pipeline that is pushing children out of schools and into the prison system,” said Dana Thompson Dorsey, CUE’s associate director of research and development.
CUESEF’s schedule of events boasts several nationally-recognized scholars such as Michelle Alexander, who will serve as a featured panelist. Alexander, author of “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” is a legal scholar, social justice advocate and columnist at the New York Times. She also serves as visiting professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.
The forum is co-sponsored by the Heinz Endowments.
Educators who attend 15 hours of presentations and/or breakout sessions will receive 15 PA Act 48 credits. Spots are still available, but participants must register.