There is extensive research on the racial disparities of Black students receiving exclusionary disciplinary consequences (Welch et al., 2002; Fenning & Rose, 2007; Fowler, 2011; Skiba et al., 2011; Skiba et al., 2014; Hirschfield, 2018). Khalifa et al. (2016) stated "the principalship is also the most recognizable position in a school,…

Disproportionate disciplinary actions relating to school-based offenses for Black youth influence their early juvenile justice involvement. The continued excessive disciplinary actions involving Black male students in lower-level academic settings are concerning because, without being addressed, continuing disproportionate disciplinary action…

Students with disabilities (SWDs) in U.S. public schools face unique challenges that profoundly shape their educational experiences and transition into adulthood, such as lower academic achievement and higher rates of exclusionary discipline and juvenile justice involvement. These disparities have far-reaching implications, impacting high school…

This paper discusses the educational experiences of Black transitional males with emotional disturbance (ED) in regard to their postsecondary preparation and relationships with school staff. Black children, males specifically, are facing a modern-day segregation; where at the intersections of race, ability, and gender they are disproportionately…

The school to prison pipeline is a phenomenon fed by exclusionary discipline practices that increase the likelihood that a student will have an interaction with the juvenile or criminal justice system at some time in their life; this phenomenon disproportionately affects Black students. Understanding the problem is key to slowing down the school…

Growing evidence points to increased female involvement in the juvenile justice system and a correlation to adult justice system involvement (Morris & Perry, 2017). However, there is an absence of individual perspectives and lived experiences from within the school-to-prison pipeline (Cole and Cohen, 2013). This qualitative study investigates…

The problem addressed in this study was that, when enforced, the Zero Tolerance Policy (ZTP) prematurely introduced Black, Brown, and mentally ill students into the juvenile justice system. The central purpose of this qualitative case study was to discover if the ZTP influenced the school principal's past discretion, how that influence changed…

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…

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse reported that 35 percent of middle school students and 45 percent of high school students say that there are students who are affiliated with gangs or who consider themselves to be affiliated with gangs in their schools (Arciaga, Sakamoto, & Jones, 2010). Gangs are increasingly violent and…

Giroux (2003) indicated that the prison industry has become a major economic industry with many states spending more money on prison reforms than on educational reforms. Juvenile delinquent behavior should be punished but fair treatment and equal rights for all human beings under the rule of law is paramount to punishment. Casella (2001) indicated…

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,…