Everyday, Black girls are pushed out of school because they are perceived to be too loud, disruptive, disrespectful, and disobedient. School pushout refers to punitive and harmful policies and practices that create toxic school environments that make it difficult for students—especially Black girls and other students of color—to succeed. These practices weaken Black girls’ attachment and commitment to their education, increasing their risk of dropping out of school, poor mental health, substance misuse, and involvement in risky behaviors that bring them into contact with the juvenile legal system.

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Harmful school discipline practices are a primary driver of school pushout. Black girls are the only racial/ethnic group to be disproportionately overrepresented across all school discipline sanctions—including suspensions, expulsions, and arrests on school. 

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This disproportionate punishment of Black girls is often the result of stereotypes and labels assigned to Black girls that are fueled by racial and gender biases, such as Black girls being perceived as loud, angry, and aggressive. Alongside this, "adultification"—an unconscious bias where adults perceive Black girls to be older and more mature than they are—leads educators to punish Black girls more harshly than other students who are the same age because they believe Black girls should “know better.”

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But this can change. We can transform schools into the nurturing, caring, and supportive educational spaces that Black girls & gender-expansive youth and all students deserve, where they can grow and thrive. To ensure that educators treat Black girls and gender-expansive youth equitably and in developmentally appropriate ways, educators need a new lens and approach to guide their work—one that affirms students’ identities and experiences, rather than criminalizes their behaviors. That's where the CARES Initiative comes in.