Youth who experience academic failure and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are at a greater risk for involvement in delinquency. They are overwhelmingly affected by a phenomenon known as the Cradle to Prison Pipeline. While studies have revealed a 

myriad of factors for such failures, trauma is one external school factor impacting student achievement. The success of those youth is dependent upon (well trained) teacher candidates who engage in restorative practices that build resilience, empathy, and hope.

This allows traumatized youth to remain in the education system rather than pushing them out due to suspension or expulsion. Building a community of trust allows for courageous conversations to occur between teachers and youth that creates awareness  for compassion, resilience, inspiration, social justice and excellence. 

The Cradle to Prison Pipeline (CTPP) acknowledges that because of structural, systematic, institutional and societal factors that produce inequities, students are pushed out of schools towards the prison system as soon as they are born. Structural issues include such policies as  Get Tough and “Zero Tolerance” Policies that contribute to a phenomenon known as the CTPP, which creates systemic barriers for youth in schools (Milner et. al., 2018).  The CTPP is one of the most pressing issues facing our schools and, by extension our society, today (Tuzzolo &  Hewitt, 2006). In fact it has been described as one of the greatest threats to civil right issues of our time (Samel. et al., 2011).The growth of this phenomenon is part of a larger crisis.

Since 1970, the U.S. prison population has grown from approximately 325, 000 individuals to over 2 million today (rethinking schools, 2021). Currently more than 48, 000 youth, ages 13 to 18, are confined in correctional facilities across the United States, which exposes them to greater risk of assault and other abusive treatment (Prison Policy Initiative, 2019). Perhaps most concerning is the overrepresentation of Black, Lation, and Indigenous male youth housed in detention facilities and the clear link between these groups and academic failure. This deprives youth of meaningful opportunities for education.  

Research makes a connection across various forms of education trauma that can occur throughout a student’s life: from bullying and anxiety to social inequity and the cradle-to-prison pipeline (Grey, 2019).

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) is a term originated by Dr. Vince Felitti and Dr. Robert Anda in 1995 and is defined by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 2019 as abuse, neglect, or traumatic experiences an individual encounters before the age of 18. The ACE’s questionnaire is a 10 item self-reporting questionnaire that identifies childhood exposure to physical, sexual and verbal abuse, emotional and physical neglect and the following areas of household dysfunction: substance abuse, separation or divorce, mental illness, domestic abuse and incarceration. 

The state of Missouri is the 4th highest state in the number of children exposed to two or more adverse childhood experiences as of 2016, surpassing the national average by 21.7 percent (Martinez, 2017). 

Preparing and empowering teacher candidates begins with building a community of trust where courageous conversations can occur. Potential ways to build community, empower teacher candidates and prepare them for the field include: a. Ensure candidates are aware of disparities that place students at risk for incarceration, b. Create opportunities for them to observe fair and restorative practices being used to address student behavior in the classroom, c. connect classroom management pedagogy to trauma and the Cradle-to-Prison Pipeline, d. Increase educator preparation in understanding race and class, and e. Develop an understanding of how to negotiate the sociopolitical landscape of internal and external school environments.