Date of Award
9-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Educational Leadership
First Advisor
Stacey Kite, D.B.A.
Committee Members
Suzanne Buglione; Andrea Blair
Keywords
Black male students; Criminalization; Discipline disparities; Mattering; School-to-prison pipeline
Abstract
In the United States, race undeniably remains at the heart of the educational experiences of Black males. For decades, researchers have studied how schools systemically “push out” and reroute Black males to prison at a disproportionate rate by enforcing inequitable discipline policies and practices (Annamma et al., 2019; Leung-Gagné, 2022; Scott et al., 2017; Skiba et al., 2011). Black children are disciplined for minor infractions at higher rates than any other ethnic group which increases their likelihood of becoming caught up in the School-to-Prison Pipeline (Amemiya et al., 2020). Forty-two percent of youths in juvenile justice placement are Black, even though Black Americans comprise only 15% of all youth across the United States (Rovner, 2023). Hence, this study explored how six Black males aged 18-38 who attended K-12 public schools and were incarcerated at the state correctional program in New England described their circumstances that may have led to their School-to-Prison Pipeline experience. The data sources for this research consisted of in-depth, face-to-face interviews (N=6), reflective questionnaires (N=6), along with an expert interview (N=1) with a state Judge Magistrate. The findings yielded five themes that provided these six Black males a voice and a chance to truly be seen. Results may compel urban educational leaders, policy makers, and educators to gain a deeper understanding of the drivers behind the pipeline to take steps toward creating more equitable and just systems to deter Black males from prison.
Recommended Citation
Duffaut, Renee, "A Chance to See Me: Exploring Black Males’ Perspectives on Public Education Regarding the School-to-Prison Pipeline" (2024). JWU Dissertations & Theses. 35.
https://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/jwu_etd/35
