Title

Why Prison Instead of Preschool?

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-24-2007

Abstract

Almost 10 years ago, I helped start an alternative school in Washington, DC, called the Maya Angelou Public Charter School (http://www.seeforever.org). We have had great success with students who had academic difficulty in previous schools, including many who had dropped out or been incarcerated. Many Maya graduates themselves have young children, and like most parents, they want a better life for their kids. For many, this means finding good early-childhood education programs. Tragically, however, in DC and around the country, there is a chronic shortage of quality options. All too often, our graduates are told, "We have no space for your child." Which raises the question: when is the last time you remember a president or governor or mayor saying, "I wish we could lock this young man up, but we do not have any more prison beds. We have to put his name on a waiting list?"

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS