School of Social Work Research Associate funded by The Heinz Endowments to examine the “School-to-Prison Pipeline” Dr. James P. Huguley, Research Associate in the School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh and the Center on Race and Social Problems, has received $48,309 from The Heinz Endowments to study the problems and identify the remedies relating to racial disparities in school discipline in the Pittsburgh region. In its initial stages, the project will examine the current research relating to the “School-to-Prison Pipeline” in the United States, how existing policies may affect student justice-system involvement, and how the entire process connects to racial disparities in school discipline. The project will also assess to what degree local school discipline policies and practices are equipped to remedy racial inequalities in these areas, and make specific recommendations to Pittsburgh area schools. Research has shown that zero tolerance discipline policies have serious long-term consequences, and that youth who are steered toward justice system suffer diminished academic, civil, and economic prospects.  According to Dr. Huguley, the principal investigator, “The racial disparities in these juvenile justice experiences make this study extremely critical right now.” Dr. Huguley notes that while general best practices in school discipline have been prescribed at the national level, these practices are not yet well designed to address racial differences in discipline experiences. Nor have the national policies been closely examined for their potential adaptability and impact at the local level.   “Locally we need to understand both,” Dr. Huguley says. “We need to understand what the best approaches to racial justice in school discipline are, and we need to understand how to best apply these and other best practices in school discipline to the unique social context of greater Pittsburgh.” Dr. Huguley will be joined in this projects by two University of Pittsburgh collaborators: Dr. Ming-Te Wang from the School of Education, and Dr. Katherine Monahan from the Department of Psychology. Together they expect to produce a set of recommendations for best practices, advocacy, and policies that are specific to the greater Pittsburgh social, cultural, and political context.  “It is our hope that these recommendations will assist in the design and support of local efforts to dismantle the prison-to-school pipeline and racial disproportionality in ways that might make greater Pittsburgh a model for urban regions nationally,” said Huguley. The Heinz Endowments supports efforts to make southwestern Pennsylvania a premier place to live and work a center for learning and educational excellence, and a region that embraces diversity and inclusion.###December 15, 2014       FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:  Shannon Murphy[412-648-9404 (office); 412-335-4457 (cell); shm87@pitt.edu]