"Education or Incarceration" at Shiloh Church

A forum scheduled for Saturday at the hopes to present Easton's children with a stark choice.

"Education or Incarceration" is the name of the program, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the South Side church.

"It's imperative that the children of our community understand the importance of a good education, especially at a time when many are making choices that could or have led them to jail," Shiloh Pastor Phillip Davis said in a news release.

With that in mind, Davis hopes to use the forum to discuss a host of education issues facing Easton's minority students, such as what he says is a disparity in the hiring of minority teachers and administrators, and "the low performance of minority students as it pertains to standardized tests, graduation rates, and college admission."

The district's PSSA test results from last year showed black and Latino students had scored lower than their white counterparts in math and reading. Only one school, Paxinosa Elemenary, saw its black and Latino children test higher than white students.

Panelists will include retired Easton school administrator Bill Houston, retired teacher Alfred Jones, and Kerry Myers, the current school board president, who will present a history of the school district.

 Jaciel Cordoba, an anchor for WFMZ,  will moderatorate for the forum.