Digital Commons Network^™

Restorative Justice Initiatives In Marin County: Mitigating The Impacts Of The School-To-Prison Pipeline On Youth, Gina Dudley

Social Justice | Senior Theses

My senior thesis project delves into Restorative Justice's role in addressing the school-to-prison pipeline in Marin County. Restorative Justice prioritizes repairing the harm caused by crime to individuals, relationships, and communities, advocating for offenders to take responsibility and make amends rather than solely facing punishment (Restorative Justice Exchange, 2022). My capstone aims to pinpoint factors driving student exclusion from schools and subsequent entanglement in the legal system while highlighting how restorative approaches can prevent such outcomes. Additionally, it discusses the benefits of removing police officers from schools and reducing reliance on law enforcement within educational settings. My research will use …

"I’Ll Wait Zero Seconds": Faculty Perspectives On Serials Access, Sharing, And Immediacy, Rachel Elizabeth Scott, Anne Shelley, Chad E. Buckley, Cassie Thayer-Styes, Julie A. Murphy

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

This study explores how faculty across disciplines access and share scholarly serial content and what expectations they have for immediacy. The authors conducted twenty-five in-depth, semi-structured interviews with faculty of various ranks representing all Illinois State University (ISU) colleges. The findings, presented in the words of participants and triangulated with data from local sources, suggest that faculty use a variety of context-specific mechanisms to access and share serial literature. Participants discuss how they use library services such as databases, subscriptions, interlibrary loan, and document delivery, coupled with academic social networks, disciplinary repositories, author websites, and other publicly available sources to …

An Examination Of The Effect Of The Implementation Of A Trauma-Informed School Initiative On The Attitudes Of The Staff In A School, Michael Riddell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological case study was to investigate the change in the attitudes of teachers pre and post implementation of a trauma-informed school initiative in a school in the Eastern Grand Region of Tennessee. As adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have become more recognizable in school age children by teachers and school staff members due to an increase in knowledge about ACEs, there has been an increase in the number of trauma-informed initiatives undertaken by schools across the United States. Due to the challenges associated with the implementation of trauma-informed initiatives in schools, it is important for administrators …

Chacahoula 2024, Alayna Pellegrin

Chacahoula

MERGING REALITIES:

The 2024 issue of Chacahoula includes December 2023 and May 2024 graduating classes, as well as interactive elements, analysis of the impact of technology in daily and academic life, candid photographs of the spectrum of campus life. This year's time capsule captures and preserves an academic year in the life of the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Human And Sex Trafficking: A Quantitative Examination Of The Knowledge And Awareness Of The College-Aged Population, Margaret Caroline Weiker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is crucial for the public and more specifically those who are a part of vulnerable populations to understand the dangers of both human and sex trafficking. One sub-group of vulnerable populations that are likely to encounter a trafficking situation are college students, as many of these students are unaware of trafficking’s prevalence. While there have been studies of specific populations with prior specialized knowledge, there is little information on the knowledge, perceptions, and awareness levels of the general college-aged population. This study will be quantitatively structured into a two-part survey, seeking to collect data from a sample size of …

The Current - Volume 35 Issue 2, Nova Southeastern University

The Current

No abstract provided.

Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal (Book Review), Benjamin Gibson

Pro Rege

Reviewed Title: Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal by Matthew Martens. Crossway, 2023. 416 pp. ISBN: 9781433581823.

An Autoethnography Of A Social Justice-Minded Teacher In Corrections, Graciela Rubalcaba-Munoz

Dissertations

ABSTRACT The incarceration of women has increased 93% in the last fifty years. This impacts marginalized communities at disproportionate rates. Although the provision of education in corrections became federal law in 1952 as a means to rehabilitate inmates, women’s facilities currently do not receive equitable resources to support education, which puts additional pressure on the educational staff. The legal requirement for education includes county jails, the transitory facilities that house inmates while they await court or transfer to prison. The jail educational system is volatile, making it difficult to engage students when there are constant interruptions, unexpected incidents, lockdowns, and …

Homeschooling And Publicly Funded Education - Achieving The Best Of Both Worlds, Thomas D'Amico

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Dissertation-in-Practice (DiP) provides a roadmap to address the trend of increased numbers of parents choosing homeschooling in the Central Catholic School Board (CCSB, a pseudonym). The CCSB is a publicly funded Ontario Catholic school district serving more than 40,000 students across a mixed urban, rural, and suburban region. A critical theory approach to addressing the increase in homeschooling by students from underserved marginalized communities provides an explicit focus on social justice. The selected solution to address the complex problem is a system-wide implementation of flexi-schooling. A future state sees flexi-schooling providing alternatives to status quo structures by allowing personalized …

Service Learning During A Global Pandemic: How And Why?, Kiesha Warren-Gordon, Angela Jackson-Brown

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This case study provides an overview as to how two faculty members co-taught an asynchronous online course with a service-learning component during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Within this paper, the authors recount the adjustments that were made in order to accommodate an online teaching modality while maintaining their commitment to service learning.

Engaging Undergraduates In Co-Curricular Community-Based Research: Strategies For Success, Monica Williams, Pamela B. Payne

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This paper uses a case study of a co-curricular community-based research (CbR) program for undergraduates at a regional comprehensive university to identify five strategies to success in implementing such a program: prior planning, appropriate projects, student ownership, program structure, and teaching students to find resources. We address the strengths and limitations of CbR programs, provide recommendations for community engagement through research, and address opportunities and challenges of CbR programs for involving students in their communities.

Impact Of Service Learning On Personal, Social, And Academic Development Of Community Nutrition Students, Kritika Gupta, Blake Grove, Georgianna Mann

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Service learning connects theoretical knowledge to community settings. Reflective journals were used to document student service-learning experiences in a Community Nutrition course component. Reflective journal data obtained from students (n=137) during different semesters were analyzed qualitatively. The service-learning partners included Nutrition Education, Food Provision, and Local Food sites. Positive impacts were noted on personal, social, and academic development of students for all sites. Service-learning assignments can impart transferrable skills and enhance student development.

Conversations For Change: The Impact Of Service-Learning Dialogues With Incarcerated Men On Social Work Students, Yvonne Eaton-Stull, Kathleen Kocherzat, Kerry Edwards

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This article explores a course-linked service-learning project that facilitated social-problem focused dialogues between students and men who were incarcerated in a prison. Student reflections were life-changing; listening with both their hearts and minds enhanced student learning, increasing empathy, fueling a sense of advocacy, and fostering a plan for action and change. Conversing with the men challenged old assumptions and invited students to solidify goals and infuse their career paths with civic values and social justice concerns.

Voices Of Partnerships Within The Critical Service-Learning Framework, Kiesha Warren-Gordon, Ken Hudson, Frank Scott

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Over the course of the past three decades, service learning has become a major component in higher education. Heretofore, however, there has been limited published research that focuses on the community partner or that assesses the role of the community partner within the community-servicelearning (CSL) model. This paper fills that gap by focusing on the community partner relationship as delineated by Mitchell (2008), the community partner’s position in CSL, and the authentic relationships between the community partner, class, and instructor. Specifically, we address the following question: How do community partners articulate their voices within the CSL framework? This paper argues …

Leadership Opportunities In Service-Learning: A Pilot Study In A Homeland Security Classroom, Jess Bonnan-White, Emily Lanaras

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Service-learning opportunities provide students with valuable professional experience beyond training and practical skills. In a pilot study of Criminal Justice students enrolled in an undergraduate Homeland Security class, student volunteers report opportunities for practicing leadership at an after-school program. Responses were also compared to a leadership curriculum prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Student volunteers collectively focus on providing mentorship, tutoring assistance, and behavioral regulation. Results add to literature documenting service-learning impact on professional development.

A Decade Of Publishing: On Reflection And Our Future, Catherine Stemmans Paterson

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This article reflects on the tenth anniversary of publishing The Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education. It also describes an upcoming special edition in partnership with Indiana Campus Compact.

Examining The Impact Of A Professional Learning Community On Teachers' Awareness Of Neurodiversity In The Classroom, Taylor Diane Williams

Theses and Dissertations

In this action research study, the researcher sought to explore the influence of Professional Learning Community (PLC) participation on the recognition and awareness of general education teachers on neurodiversity in their classrooms. Additionally, the study aimed to investigate the effects of the teachers’ awareness on their instructional approaches. The participants of this study hail from a variety of cultures and languages from around the world. Conducted over a six-week period in an international school in southern Germany, the participants demonstrated an enhanced understandings of neurodiversity through their engagement in the PLC sessions. The data collection tools used in the study …

Unraveling The Impact Of The School-To-Prison Pipeline: Investigating Racial Disparities In Disciplinary Practices, Zelexis Croffie

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study sought to examine ways to narrow the racial discipline gap in South Carolina’s elementary schools. Employing both the Critical Race Theory and BlackCrit in schools as the theoretical frameworks, the research delved into the narratives of teachers in grades 3^rd through 5^th, exploring their encounters with school-based disciplinary practices. The study integrated Social-Emotional Learning and Culturally Responsive Teaching to ultimately uncover implicit biases held by teachers that positioned Black students as less innocent compared to their White counterparts. The primary focus was to investigate the relationship between teachers’ inequitable disciplinary practices and the …

2024-2025 Undergraduate Academic Catalog, Cedarville University

Undergraduate Academic Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Victim-Centred Policing: A Strategy For Effective Planning And Response To Mass Victimization Incidents, Karen D. Collins

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

It is becoming increasingly important for police departments to develop internal capacity to address the needs of crime victims who are affected by serious incidents such as active shooters or terrorist attacks. Supporting the family and friends of victims, witnesses and others affected by a tragic incident is a key function of the investigating police agency. Victims seek information and require support from police investigators through all phases of the response. This dissertation-in-practice addresses the lack of refined victim-centred practices in planning for, and responding to mass victimization incidents at the X Police Department (a pseudonym). Adaptive and ethical leadership …

Improving The Educational Experience Of Students With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (Fasd), Sarah E. Bates

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is recognized as one of the leading causes of developmental disability in the Western world (Flannigan et al., 2018). Its prevalence is estimated at 4% of the population. This implies that approximately 4% of students have FASD, which in turn means that they may face elevated risks of encountering learning and behavioural challenges. These difficulties may manifest as developmental disabilities and speech-language deficits, often necessitating specialized educational interventions. (Flannigan et al., 2018; Chudley et al., 2005; Popova et al., 2016). As such, this Dissertation-in-Practice presents educators in the Silver Maple District School Board (a pseudonym) …

Minority Students' Attitudes Toward Reading Among Those Exposed To Mirror Books And Those Who Were Not: A Causal-Comparative Study, Valcine Dyonne Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to conduct a quantitative, quasi-experimental, causal-comparative study to measure the impact of mirror books on high school sophomores’ attitudes toward reading. This study responds to a need identified by educational researchers that the link between motivation and reading be methodically examined. This research study had 43 tenth-grade students in the treatment group and 31 in the control group, for a total of 73 out of 432 sophomore students composing a convenience sample. Groups were determined by their placement in their ELA course by the course generator used at the public high school. The participating …

Examining The Needs Of Administrators, Teachers, And Professional Staff In An Elementary School Moving To Become A Trauma-Sensitive School: A Single Instrumental Case Study, Samantha Nicole George

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This single instrumental case study discovered the needs of a Central Virginia elementary school as it moved toward becoming a trauma-sensitive school. The theory informing this study was Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems theory, as it provided a framework to explore the instrumental role of administrators, teachers, and professional staff in the complex system of relationships that support child development in the microsystem of the school. Participants were recruited from one elementary school in Central Virginia after obtaining IRB approval from Liberty University. Data collection entailed surveys, interviews, and focus groups to describe the needs of administrators, teachers, and professional staff …

Decreasing The Reading Gap In Upper Elementary, Carly L. Johnson

Culminating Experience Projects

Students are entering 4th grade well below grade level in reading, and the reading achievement gap continues to grow every year. When students are below grade level it can lead to other subject areas being more difficult on the student. The main factors of students struggling to read are low motivation to read and the lack of phonemic awareness. This project provides research explaining why students are below grade level and the best ways to address these problems. Teachers have the ability to aid students in reaching grade level when it comes to reading. Next, the project addresses strategies and …

Con Respeto Y Dignidad: Transforming Educational Experiences For Students Of Color By Addressing Disproportionate Discipline Practices, Selene Munoz

Dissertations

Discipline practices wield significant influence over the social dynamics within educational settings and profoundly impact students’ ability to attain academic and social gains crucial for their success. The racialization of school discipline has been linked to negative effects on student’s academic trajectories and life outcomes. Consequently, school administrators can play a crucial role in effecting cultural change within their organizations to support disciplinary practices that uphold students’ educational dignity. This study looked at the strategies employed by secondary level administrators to shift their school cultures aimed at addressing disproportionate disciplinary practices. Using a mixed methods approach, this study draws upon …

Fighting For The Right To Learn: Exploring The Impact Of Discipline Policies On Black Female Students, Amyre E. Smith

Culminating Experience Projects

This study investigates the systemic biases and stereotypes that disproportionately affect Black female students in K-12 educational settings. The research aims to analyze how implicit biases and societal norms contribute to the unfair policing and mistreatment of Black girls in schools. Utilizing a combination of literature review, case studies, and interviews, the study explores the intersectionality of race and gender and its impact on disciplinary actions. Findings reveal that Black girls are often disciplined for subjective offenses, such as defiance and disrespect, rooted in implicit biases held by school personnel. The study also evaluates the effectiveness of restorative practices and …

Vocational Education And Training In Finnish Open Prisons: A Multilevel Approach To Young Incarcerated People’S Barriers To Participation, Jaakko Hyytiä, Paula Alanen

Journal of Prison Education Research

Having relevant skills and education are considered the best indicators of reintegration into society after release from prison, but majority of young, incarcerated people have a lower education level and participate less in education compared to the same age population at large. This article focuses on finding solutions for overcoming the barriers to prison education in Finland. We explored those barriers, asking: What are the perceptions and experiences of barriers to education among prisoner-students, educators, and other professionals engaged in vocational prison education in Finland? The research data consists of 29 interviews of vocational education and training (VET) students (11), …

Teaching Shakespeare In Prison, Renford Reese, Rachel Tracie

Journal of Prison Education Research

The Prison Education Project (PEP) offers life skills and academic courses in 30 correctional facilities in California. Founded in 2011, PEP uses university student and faculty volunteers to teach a range of 32 introductory courses during three seven-week semesters: Fall, Spring, Summer. One of PEP’s most popular courses is the “Introduction to Shakespeare” course. This article examines the impact of teaching an “Introduction to Shakespeare” course in prison. This course introduces in-custody students to the literary interpretation of Shakespeare in the context of their own lived experience. Students in this course deconstruct the use of language and analyze the social, …

The Intersection Of Lgbtq+ Identity And Disability: A Need For School Based Support, Jospeh A. Hogan

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Grounded in intersectional theory, this article explores the experience of LGBTQ+ students with disabilities. LGBTQ+ students with disabilities experience higher levels of bullying, harassment, suicidal ideation and other challenges in school. Post-school outcomes also reveal negative realities. Schools need to ensure that support is provided to students living at the intersection of LGBTQ+ identity and disability. Implications for school leaders, educational professionals, and educator preparation programs are discussed with recommendations for improving outcomes.

Defending Critical Race Theory, Nick J. Sciullo

Seattle University Law Review Online

Recent attacks on Critical Race Theory (CRT) have caused wide ranging discussions about CRT in a diverse number of disciplines, throughout all grade levels, and around the world in media. While CRT adherents have long wished for more engagement with CRT, the recent firestorm of attacks has been surprising at best, and horribly worrisome and frightening at worst. Efforts to ban CRT in schools, while likely not having much effect given the improbability that CRT is taught in any K-12 schools, have politicized CRT in new ways (though like all education, it was always political). Moreover, this engagement is clearly …