24 Years of Planting Change

Schools Not Prisons & BMOC

A successful youth-grassroots driven campaign to transform school discipline practices, transform justice systems, and center Boys & Young Men of Color.

#SchoolsNotPrisons partners helped transform the public narrative surrounding harsh school discipline by calling attention to systemic challenges and potential solutions, championing non-violence and youth activism and urging families to join the movement.

BHC partners advocated for more equitable funding of California’s schools through the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) policy, which resulted in much-needed increased per-pupil spending and lower teacher-to-student ratios. Moreover, partners played an important role in implementing the policy to ensure that new dollars directly benefited students and families most-in-need. BHC led a powerful campaign to improve school climate, change the public narrative and raise awareness surrounding the “school-to-prison pipeline” and end harsh and overly punitive school discipline policies.

Alternatives such as restorative justice, healing, and other trauma-informed practices encompass a growing social movement to institutionalize non-punitive, relationship-centered approaches for avoiding and addressing harm, responding to violations of legal and human rights, and collaboratively solving problems.

When used in schools to address the root causes of harmful behavior, these approaches help find solutions that make it right for all parties involved without the student losing class time.

The work yielded a 50% decrease in suspensions statewide, contributing to more in-class time for teaching and learning. This school climate effort may have also contributed to an improvement in school graduation rates.

Millions
of people reached through the campaign since 2016
Hundreds
of artists connected with grassroots, youth-serving orgs
100,000+
attended 30+ free arts & music festivals
50%
Decrease in Suspensions Statewide

“We’ve seen what happens when young people have a chance to heal from trauma, to lead, and to create a vision for the kind of world they, and we, all want to live in.”
DR. ROBERT K. ROSS President & CEO, The California Endowment

Browse Other Changes Planted by Dr. Ross

Building Healthy Communities $1B invested over 10 years

Health4All 38.6 million lives impacted

Youth Awards 37 total awards given

Farmworker Health $50M initiative

TCE Grant Making 2023 $381M awarded

Parks for All Hundreds of millions leveraged for parks investments in CA

Youth on the Board 1st of large foundations in US to have youth on the board

Childhood Obesity & Freshworks $272M to expand access to fresh and healthy foods in low-income communities

CHIS 20,000 households interviewed annually to find health gaps in CA

Kids Health Coverage Campaign $4M to help enroll children in health programs

Cultural Competency/Health Workforce/PRIME $78.2M to CA organizations working to boost the size and diversity of the state's healthcare workforce

TCE Headquarters 125,000+ use our facilities every year

View All

Wishing Wall

Bob bravo! What a magnificent legacy!
My best,
- Anne

Dr. Ross,
Wish you peace and reflective joy brother.
- Efrain Escobedo

Bob,
Fortunate to have such a powerful voice & thought leader at TCE.
- Sherry

Dr. Ross,
Thank you for all that you have done to advance justice and equity in our communities.

Thank you, Dr. Ross, for all the love you have given to this world. You have paved the way to continue making change.
- Veronica

With deepest gratitude for all of your service, your love, & leadership. May you have abundant joy and connection and all good things.
- Sharon

Dr. Ross,
The East Los Angeles Women’s Center sends you many blessings and gratitude for the support for our community & mujeres.

All the best to the world’s greatest boss & mentor. Thank you for your leadership, advice, and support these last 16 years!
- Dan DeLeon

Congratulations Dr. Ross (aka 007) on 24 years of making a change in CA’s future.
Best,
- Dolores Estrada

Best wishes for the next act!
- Joel

Dr. Ross!
You are fantastic!

Wishing you a happy and blessed retirement.
Love,
- David & Pei

Wishing you all the love you can handle…. And wonderful memories of years at TCE!
- Elwood

Dr. Ross,
Wishing you the best time ever spent.

Bob!
Rest. Relax. Renew. Have fun…
- Kisha Grove

I wish you all the best. Hopefully I will see you around the bowl more!
- Virginia Mosqueda

Enjoy & have fun. God bless you!
- Elizabeth Tabita

Dearest Bob,
Thank you for the opportunity of a lifetime to work with you! An honor and a privilege.
Love always.

Thank you for all that you do. God bless.

RKR - sooooo wonderful to gather this evening to celebrate you! The honor and privilege of knowing you is more than I can describe. Hoping we will be sure to connect as you go.

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