Summary
The Center for American Progress report analyses and compares the Black and white child upbringing in the United States. The report is mainly concerned with children’s preschool life and how their school experiences influence their characters. As contained in the news, it was found that African American children are more at risk of being suspended or even expelled than white students. Moreover, this report says that education systems in the United States favor white students more than they care about the well-being of black American students. Another issue that has been given weight in this report is the government spending priority as students in preschools are concerned. This report criticized how the U.S. government could spend more resources incarcerating children than the actual resources they provide to aid children’s education. Therefore, it could be said that both teachers’ and education systems’ biases toward black children in preschools is a significant issue that has for decades influenced and promoted mass incarceration of the black population in the United States.
Opinion: Let’s Never See Another First-Grader in Handcuffs
The main issue of discussion in the Hechinger report is the increasing mass incarceration of first-graders in the United States. According to this report, handcuffing preschool children and driving them to the police station is a matter that needs to stop and other alternative disciplinary actions adopted. The act is irresponsible and sometimes does not result in intended reformations. Moreover, the report found that preschool children undergo trauma after being released from cells, thus affecting their academic performance and initiating the development of deviant behaviors. This report also found that about 230000 preschool children were handcuffed in 2017, and black children formed a more significant percentage. This indicates that there is a notion that the black population in the United States is associated or linked with criminal activities, which is not the case. In my opinion, racism against black children in schools is an issue that the government should deal with to enhance the well-being of black children in the United States.