This theoretical multi-article dissertation is a broad examination of education, including trends in our school system, juvenile justice system, and cultural/media system to address the disproportionate targeted failure of students with disabilities from a neurodiversity standpoint. Research shows how our current education system is not the…

This collective case study based in critical theory explores how teachers understand the connection between schools and courts and the factors that contribute to their understanding(s). The study seeks to identify and question the systems and structures in place to disseminate and maintain ideology that perpetuate disparities and criminalization…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) entitles students who qualify for special education services to a free and appropriate education (FAPE) across all public education settings, including juvenile justice (JJ) facilities. JJ facilities have disproportionately higher rates of students with disabilities, who tend to experience…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how 7th-12th grade teachers described their active and passive transfer of the social capital elements of social structure and individual actions to at-risk youths during the reentry process into the general classroom in a Southwestern school district. The theoretical foundation of…

This dissertation study focused on an interagency collaboration in juvenile justice which aimed to improve education and employment outcomes for youth and young adults. The period of reentry (also known as reintegration or transition) typically includes supports in education, employment, work experience, and mental health which have been shown to…

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,…

School psychologists are equipped with a dynamic skill set and an ethical and moral responsibility to support the diverse needs of all youth. While juvenile justice-involved youth may not be a primary subpopulation served by all school psychologists, they are a high-needs group that requires special consideration and attention. As a professional…

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…

African American and Latinx students are disproportionality impacted by punitive discipline models including suspensions, detention, and expulsions. This disproportionality removes students from the education setting creating adverse social emotional, academic, and economic outcomes. Students who are suspended and expelled are more likely to have…

The African American population has faced adversity in the United States in many ways since the arrival of their first known ancestors in Jamestown in 1619. This narrative of systemic oppression creates obstacles and challenges for this people group even today. Using a transcendental phenomenological approach, the researcher, who has a long…

Children and adolescents are imprisoned every day in juvenile detention institutions across the United States (Sickmund, 2002). Many adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) will struggle upon their release from juvenile detention center when attempting to reintegrate into society, with their family, and their school. Recidivism…

The problem for this study was the lack of research about what teachers consider to be the successes, the risks, and the potential dangers of working in a school prison setting. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate teacher perceptions about successes, risks, and potential dangers of teaching in a prison school setting. This…

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…

Research consistently highlights a relationship between three major facets of the school-to-prison pipeline: race, special education involvement, and juvenile delinquency. However, controversy remains on the cause of this relationship. Special education involvement and race are common risk factors for the school to prison pipeline, yet research on…

Educators play a crucial role in student skill development; hence this dissertation explores incentive-driven public policies and understands the effect that educators have on students. The first chapter estimates relative contributions of the subjective (supervisor observations and student surveys) versus objective (value-added) evaluation…