Analyses revealed that intensive, order-maintenance policing had a negative impact on test scores for Black young men and boys who happened to live in the affected neighborhoods. How do you imagine encounters with the police (or the risk of such encounters) might affect a student’s readiness to learn? Have your students ever talked about interactions with the police, either in positive or negative terms? How do you think local police might improve relationships with students, schools, and communities? Do you see opportunities for schools and police departments to work together to better support young people? Our brief cites a report that found that millions of U.S. students attend schools with police in the building, but no counselors, nurses, school psychologists, or social workers. What resources are available in your school to help meet students’ needs and keep them safe? Who do you call when conflict arises in your classroom? Is there a counselor available to support students who are emotionally distressed? A nurse available for medical concerns? Who determines when to involve School Safety/the NYPD in matters of student conflict/crisis? For your practice: Do you feel prepared to facilitate conversations in your classroom about challenging topics like systemic racism in policing? What kinds of support could you use in this area?
| Our Aggressive Policing and Academic Outcomes brief looks at the impact of police “surges” in students’ home neighborhoods. We found that while aggressive policing led to small reductions in violent crime, it also had negative effects on student outcomes—notably decreases in test scores for Black males who happened to live in those neighborhoods. Test scores for other student groups were not affected. What do you make of these findings? How might exposure to aggressive policing shape a student’s academic performance or their feelings about school? Some of NYC’s policing policies have changed since the period of this study (2004-2012), particularly the end of “stop and frisk” policies that were deemed racially discriminatory by the court. If our study were done today, do you think the findings would be similar or different? Why? Do you feel that a police presence in your neighborhood or school has influenced your academic performance, either positively or negatively? What about your health and wellbeing? How can teachers and administrators best support students who may have experienced aggressive policing in their communities?
| Questions for Policymakers and Advocates: The findings highlighted above suggest the need to consider a range of potential costs associated with aggressive policing in communities. The study’s focus on neighborhood-level exposure is particularly important. It shows that the consequences of the criminal justice system are not confined to those who are incarcerated, arrested or even stopped by the police, but may extend to entire communities. How can policymakers better assess the community-level risks and benefits of different approaches to policing? Taken together with other research, these findings underscore how inequality in education can be connected to inequality in other systems and institutions that shape young people’s lives. How should NYC’s next mayoral administration confront these cross-cutting inequalities? What types of reforms can support better, more equitable outcomes for youth? (For some ideas on this, see our Blueprint for Advancing Equity in NYC Schools, as well as Executive Director Jim Kemple’s recent testimony to the NYC Racial Justice Commission.)
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