The importance of student-teacher relationships is well established. However, research suggests that students in special education tend to experience lower quality student-teacher relationships than their peers in general education. Of particular importance is the developing research indicating that students with emotional and behavioral disorders…

The use of multi-tiered techniques can address many students' needs (e.g., problem behaviors, academic disengagement) in schools and juvenile detention centers. Some students have serious problems that may lead to poor academic performance and prevent them from being successful in school and in life. Check-in, check-out (CICO) is an effective…

Student conduct is one of the most important aspects of student life on a college campus. The staff members who serve as conduct hearing officers play an important role in helping students recognize their rights and responsibilities in the campus community and overcome poor decision making. There is a need to study the experiences of hearing…

This study investigated the impact of implementing School responder model (SRM) programs on addressing mental and behavioral health needs to reduce problem behavior and prevent the school-to-prison pipeline. While successful school-based mental health interventions exist, the effectiveness of SRM programs in countering the school-to-prison…

School leaders at a middle school in a rural school district in Georgia were looking for ways to reduce poor student behavior, which has a negative impact on school climate. Judicious Discipline, a program based on Kohlberg's 6 stages of moral development, Bandura's social learning theory, and the 3 constitutional rights of freedom, justice, and…

The image of the "criminal" black male is one that shapes the social experiences of black males in U.S. society. The racialized and gendered representation of black males as criminal, primarily through the depiction of the "thug," functions to justify various forms of social marginalization including disproportionate school…

In spite of research documenting the negative effects of punishment, most high schools and correctional facilities rely on punishment to establish order and compliance with rules and routines (Nelson, Sprague, Jolivette, Smith, & Tobin, 2009). One alternative to punitive consequences is School Wide Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports…

Purpose: The Los Angeles County Probation Department is currently receives millions of dollars through the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act to fund deputy probation officers (DPOs) on high school campuses who provide services to increase student attendance, decrease student behavioral infractions, and decrease student recidivism. The purpose…

Studies continue to reveal major concerns with discipline issues, such as referrals, detentions, and suspensions, involving Latino/Hispanic students. This problem particularly affects immigrant students in urban neighborhoods that may be characterized by high poverty and crime rates. The purpose of this study was to explore the intersection of…

Treatment for adolescent problem behavior has been given extensive attention in the literature due to the serious nature of the problem and the potential risk to others and the community. As the needs of an increasingly diverse juvenile population intensify and mounting evidence suggests ethnic minority youth receive disparate treatment across…

Public education has long been the subject of public discontent. Historical events such as the Soviet launch of "Sputnik" in 1957, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, and repeated media reports that U.S. students were outscored by students in many other countries on international tests each prompted federal and state…

Alternative school settings for students who are identified as "disruptive or dangerous" are playing an increasingly prominent role in the world of public education, yet many gaps in the research literature are abound. This dissertation study is an effort to contribute to an understanding of the students placed in these alternative schools,…