Support A New Approach
OBJECTIVES
- Educate and develop awareness of how trauma and the toxic stress of poverty inhibits learning.
- Share what the science of trauma is now telling us is the solution: that individualization of education is the key, that a paradigm shift is necessary, if we as a society want to educate all of our children, and not just some.
- Create a “Child Find” obligation for children with high adverse childhood experiences (“ACEs”) and an associated right to individualized education.
- Develop a broad-based support for this movement within the East St. Louis Community – using East St. Louis as a pilot, as the foundation for a subsequent national push for the same.
- Eliminate racial achievement gap – caused by the structural racialization of poverty, coupled with this failure to educate children suffering from the toxic stress and trauma of poverty in a way they can actually learn.
STRATEGIES, STEPS AND TACTICS
- Provide outreach to and develop a coalition of organizations and individuals in the East St. Louis area to support and lead the campaign. Identify leaders.
- Reach out to legislators, both federal and state. Find partners to draft and push legislation that would enshrine in law a “child find” obligation and a right to individualized education for children suffering from high “ACEs” as a result of the toxic stress and trauma of poverty.
- Explore possible litigation.
- Use the strategies of Kingian Nonviolence Organizing to raise awareness with direct action rallies and vigils. Use media, marketing, and PR to draw attention to the issue.
- Support the community to demand change.
