The juvenile justice and criminal justice systems ensnare far too many black and brown boys and men. Increasingly, women are caught in this dangerous web too. On this episode of Know-It-All, we are exploring the contours of some of the barriers to mental health and developmental wellness for communities of color that can lead to mass incarceration.

Dr. Troy Waller is a licensed professional counselor with 15 years of counseling experience. He explains the implications of the breaks in various systems - education, criminal justice, and health care - that keep those systems from adequately protecting and serving black and brown people. He'll share his insights about how these systemic failures manifest and show up in the lives of adults, no matter their socioeconomic status.

Host Allison R. Brown is a civil rights attorney and founder of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which creates education equity plans and promotes equity in education in compliance with federal civil rights law.

There is much discussion about the role that mental health issues have played in schools and communities that have been impacted by recent college campus shootings and other school shootings.

On this week's Know-It-All: The ABCs of Education, join us for an informative conversation with George Washington University Associate Professor of Counseling, Dr. Sam Steen. School counselors address mental health issues that arise and also support students' healthy social, emotional, and academic development.With his expertise and research on group counseling, Dr. Steen has identified key counseling strategies, particularly group counseling, that can produce positive outcomes for individuals inside schools and in communities as a whole.  Dr. Steen will share with us his enlightening perspective on the benefits and necessity of having counselors and other mental health professionals in the school environment. 

Host Allison R. Brown is a civil rights attorney and President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which creates education equity plans and promotes equity in education.

Eighty-two people were shot in Chicago over the July 4th weekend. Fourteen of those people died. Most of the victims were Black and Latino men.

Dr. Roger A. Mitchell has made it his personal crusade to put an end to the senseless violence that consumes far too many sons and brothers, daughters and sisters, and that lays waste to entire communities. Named by Mayor Vincent Gray in Washington, DC as Chief Medical Examiner earlier this year after a stint as Regional Medical Examiner in New Jersey, Dr. Mitchell is breathing life into his unique profession of forensic pathology by sharing vital information with communities and invigorating a movement that had lost its focus. He talks to us about his heavy charge as Chief Medical Examiner, about his mission to save Black lives, and about his forthcoming memoir, The Price of Freedom: A Son's Journey.

Host Allison R. Brown is a civil rights attorney and the President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which creates racial equity plans and promotes racial equity, particularly in education.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a puzzle. While the number of people diagnosed with ADHD is on the rise, there is still debate about whether ADHD is a real disorder, and debate about whether people, children especially, with ADHD should be prescribed medication to treat their symptoms. Despite the debates, there does seem to be a link between the symptoms of ADHD and mass-produced foods with lots of sodium, sugar, chemicals, and other additives.

Dr. Rachel V. Gow is a neuroscientist whose expertise is ADHD, and particularly the impact of food, diet, and nutrition on the development and treatment of ADHD. She'll help us sort through the puzzle that is ADHD and talk about the importance of nutrition for children with ADHD and for all of us.

Know-It-All Host, Allison R. Brown, is a civil rights attorney and President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which creates education equity plans and works with entities to promote equity in education.

Research has demonstrated that diversity among academic researchers, who typically have Ph.D.s, is much needed in order to ensure success and progress in the scholarship they produce. Recent collaborations between academic researchers and practitioners have brought that need to bear. 

Dr. Shireen Lewis founded SisterMentors because of her own arduous journey to get a Ph.D. and her determination that other women of color would not have to travel that road alone. She talks with us about the importance of racial diversity in higher education, why the dissertation is the most difficult and most fulfilling part of the Ph.D. quest, and what needs to be done to grow Ph.D.s in and among our own communities.

Host Allison R. Brown is a civil rights attorney and owner of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which creates education equity plans and promotes equity in compliance with federal civil rights law.

As we approach the 60th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, an important new study reveals a separate and unequal system of education in this country. This new research indicates that the proliferation of charter schools is not benefiting our nation's most vulnerable children and is potentially detrimental to them. Not only that, but the current motivations behind the charter movement are not entirely altruistic.

Dr. Gordon Lafer is the author of that study, and he joins us on this episode of Know-It-All to talk about the disturbing results and about what we can do to counter the movement and focus on equity for all of our children.

Host Allison R. Brown is a civil rights attorney and President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which creates education equity plans and promotes equity in education in compliance with federal civil rights law.

In a groundbreaking new study - The Broken Compass: Parental Involvement with Children's Education, Dr. Angel Harris and Dr. Keith Robinson have discovered that parental involvement, at least the way it is currently envisioned, doesn't quite work the way we think it does to ensure students' academic success.

They will talk to us about their research, what it means for the future of parent engagement, what schools should focus on instead, and what parents can and should do to support their children.

Host Allison R. Brown is a civil rights attorney and President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which creates education equity plans and promotes equity in education in compliance with federal law.

For parents and educators, talking with children about sex can be awkward and uncomfortable. Especially today when so much of the wrong information is readily accessible to kids, talking to them about sex has never been more critical.

My guest, Deborah Roffman, is a human sexuality expert and the author of several books, including the most recent Talk to Me First: Everything You Need to Know to Become Your Kids' "Go-To" Person About Sex. She'll discuss how and when adults should talk with children about sex and the dangers of not doing so.

Host Allison R. Brown is a civil rights attorney and President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which creates education equity plans and promotes equity in education in compliance with federal law.

High-poverty schools require considerable resources and deliberate action to adequately support children and families, to address the institutional barriers to opportunity children face, and to ensure students' academic and life success. While the challenges are many, there is a blueprint for what works.

Turnaround for Children, Inc. Founder, President, and CEO Pamela Cantor, M.D. talks to us about school turnaround and about why it is necessary, especially in high-poverty schools, for turnaround experts to partner with schools and educators and with students and families to systematically address the impacts of poverty on teaching and learning.

Host Allison R. Brown is a civil rights attorney and President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which creates education equity plans with schools and promotes equity in education in compliance with federal law.

Ensuring access to educational opportunity for children who are incarcerated is critical to ensuring their life success. Successfully delivering high-quality academic programming to students in juvenile detention facilities while also supporting their social and emotional needs is incredibly important and also can provide valuable lessons for all educators about what works well for any child.

Barbara Paz Cornejo is Vice Principal at the Maya Angelou Academy located at the New Beginnings Youth Development Center, a juvenile detention facility in Washington, D.C. She talks with us about her experiences successfully educating children behind bars, and she shares information for educators and caregivers about how best to educate, and love, all of our children.

Host Allison R. Brown is the President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which creates education equity plans and promotes equity in education in compliance with federal law.