Blocks Together
Blocks Together is a community-based organization in Chicago that was founded in 1995 to address a variety of social justice issues. It is led by individuals who are directly affected by the disparities of the West Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago, many of whom are youth. The education component of this organization particularly challenges the zero tolerance policies and the existence of metal detectors and police officers in schools, and it labels these as two core influences of the school-to-prison pipeline system. The youth council of Blocks Together is particularly passionate about incorporating Restorative Justice practices in the Chicago public school system, and they have successfully implemented these practices as well as reduced administration’s reliance on suspensions in certain schools. Learn more here. ¹¹

Padres Unidos is an organization that attempts to reduce a variety of social injustices occurring in Colorado ranging from educational inequalities to healthcare issues. A subgroup of this organization, referred to as Jóvenes Unidos, is led by students and particularly targets the school-to-prison pipeline and other aspects of education reform. The organization hopes to eliminate the school-to-prison pipeline with three alternatives to the current system. These include a complete elimination of zero tolerance policies and disciplinary action based on racial discrimination, an inclusion of restorative justice practices, and the establishment of a new disciplinary code as stated in the “Smart School Discipline Law.” Learn more here. ¹²

Gwinnett SToPP
Gwinnett Stopp is a parent coalition that was founded in 2007 in Georgia and is designed to end the school-to-prison pipeline through changes in current policy and the strengthening of the community voice on education. One major component of this organization is the Parental Leadership  Institute in which parents are educated about the issues and trained for both grassroots and educational advocacy in hopes of improving their success.  They have achieved a variety of successes including helping to create a “community-based review of the disciplinary code of conduct revision” and revising the State Department of Education’s alternative school rules alongside other organizations.  They are currently working on the “100 Stories in 100 Days” campaign – alongside other organizations – in which individuals are given the opportunity to share their own experiences with the school-to-prison pipeline and how it personally affected them. Learn more here. ¹³

Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children
Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children is an organization that was founded in 2000 and is dedicated to reducing the number of students who face criminal charges or other forms of extreme punishment for only minor forms of misconduct. They particularly reject students’ overexposure to police officers and the unsafe school environments that mimic a prison atmosphere. This organization values the importance of spreading awareness of these issues through the media and has been targeting the legislature in an attempt to change the current discipline policies. One of its major achievements occurred in 2003 when the Juvenile Justice Reform Act was established, closing a local correctional facility for youth and altering the juvenile justice system. The organization is primarily parent-led and strongly believes in the importance of parental inspired reform. Learn more here. ¹⁴

Save the Kids
Save the Kids is a national grassroots organization that relies on non-violent forms of community organizing to promote various components of social justice. This organization incorporates three forms of activism to achieve its goals. First, the organization has established an educational workshop program to target young individuals who are currently incarcerated. This is done in an attempt to establish a sense of trust with these youth and allow them to have access to a positive educational experience which many of them have never had the opportunity to experience. Secondly, Save the Kids focuses on lots of community organizing efforts to address a plethora of social justice issues ranging from gun violence against youths to homophobia to the school-to-prison pipeline.  Thirdly, the organization recognizes the importance of spreading awareness because if the public is ignorant to these dominating issues, change is not possible. Therefore, a monthly forum takes place as a way to initiate an honest discussion about the issues within the public school system as well as the juvenile justice system. Learn more here. ¹⁵

Californians for Justice is a grassroots organization that is attempting to improve social equality for all, particularly groups of individuals who are often targeted by society including those of color, immigrants, those of low-income, and those who identify as LGBTQ. Their integral focuses include establishing fair discipline policies, reducing the funding disparities, and incorporating teacher evaluations. The organization currently works in four main regions of California; one of their major accomplishments in the Fresno region was the incorporation of restorative justice practices which has reduced the harsh discipline that targets students of color and created a more positive school atmosphere. Learn more here. ¹⁶

New Mexico South West Organizing Project
New Mexico South West Organizing Project was founded in 1980 by youth of color to address social and economic issues that were prevalent in our society. One of their current campaigns related to education reform is involved with attempting to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. They attribute the pipeline’s existence as a result of “inadequate resources in public schools” and believe that through an increased commitment to understanding cultural differences, improving parental involvement, and introducing less harsh disciplinary methods, their goal can be achieved. This organization also emphasizes that education reform will be unsuccessful unless issues surrounding poverty and how that contributes to educational inequality are simultaneously addressed. They are currently having people sign their petition which states, “I acknowledge that the school-to-prison pipeline is hurting our children and youth in New Mexico, and I pledge to stand with our youth to empower them, work with them, and implement positive and proactive solutions that work.” Learn more here. ¹⁷

Youth United For Change
Youth United for Change is a Philadelphia organization that is primarily led by low-income youth of color. The members of the group are focused on bringing communities together to address common educational concerns and then devising strategies to implement the necessary changes in the public school system. Their work primarily targets the challenges that face youth of color and the working class. It was initially founded in 1991 as a subset of a drug prevention movement but emerged in 1997 as an organization that enabled high school students to speak out about the educational deficiencies that they were experiencing. As an organization for racial justice, it is focused on a wide range of issues, but problems with Philadelphia’s education remains at the forefront of their concerns, and the zero tolerance policies that are implemented in many of Philadelphia’s public schools is one of the primary targets that they hope to change. As a youth organization, the youth involved are additionally educated on former movements and taught about the influence of their identities on society in an attempt to promote leadership development as well as their own personal growth. Learn more here. ¹⁸