The 2010 census indicated that African Americans constitute just over 13% of the United States population, but accounts for over 40% of the prison population (U.S. Department of Justice, 2013). African-Americans are imprisoned at a ratio of 5:1 times of their White counterparts (Simon, 2016). This massive incarceration has resulted in a higher incidence of mental health issues (Justice, 2014), of not just the incarcerated individuals, but also immediate family members. Studies have shown that children of incarcerated parents are at increased risk for both internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, cognitive delays and difficulties in school (Shafer, 2013). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the lived experiences of family members of incarcerated African American males, facing mental illnesses. The study will utilize Intersectionality and the Critical Race Theory as the theoretical frameworks, and will employ a phenomenological qualitative approach. Purposive sampling technique will be used to select participants in Northwest Arkansas.

Computer Science is an increasingly important topic in K-12 education. Ever since the "computing crisis" of the early 2000s, where enrollment in CS dropped by over half in a five year span, increasing research has gone into improving and broadening enrollment in CS courses. Research shows the importance of introducing CS at a young age and the need for more exposure for younger children and young adults alike in order to work towards equity in the field. While there are many reasons for disinterest in CS courses, studies found one reason young adults do not want to study CS is a perception of it being tedious and lacking opportunities for creativity. Making more creative assignments is one way to try and engage more students who may not feel like stereotypical computer scientists. This thesis focuses in on the effects of creative choice in CS curriculum on students' self-efficacy, engagement/preferences, and performance. It aims to capture the effects of creative choice on a range of K-12 students of varying demographics in order to make CS more accessible for everyone. The first half of the thesis experimentally validates the effects of creative choice in existing 5th grade CS classes. We created two variants of worksheets for the students - creative worksheets and rigid worksheets. After distributing these worksheets, surveys, and quizzes, we found students still feel a sense of ownership with limited versions of creative choice and benefit from a blend of creative and rigid instructions. In addition, student performance was not affected by our different treatments. The second half of the thesis adapted and launched the fifth grade curriculum to a new demographic, teaching the course to Juvenile Hall students. Student surveys and reports from their teacher showed this class had a positive impact and was well received by students and staff. We found students would prefer a longer class next iteration, as this one only extended five weeks. Future work will be needed to experimentally evaluate the specific impact of creative choice in this new demographic.

The ethnographic narrative is a mixture of my journey to education as well as my experience as a first-year teacher. Working in an underserved area in Southern California provided me the opportunity to reach students with similar backgrounds as my own. Being Mexican-American, I pride myself in giving back to my community, and this ethnography provided me that avenue to reach countless students with similar stories to mine. The three focus students you will see were my primary focus; however, data is collected from over 120 7th-grade students-- the majority of which are Latino. All of my classroom assignments and exit tickets are posted on Google Classroom which allows me to collect data on my students progress on a daily basis. For their unit assessments and other major assessments, students use illuminate.com which allows me to track which Common Core State Standards they are mastering and what standards they need more assistance on. The one significant challenge I encountered was the culture and beliefs of the charter school I was at. First, the charter school has adopted a pre-designed curriculum that does not allow for much creativity for the teacher. They have also lowered the standards for traditional grades which will be discussed later in the prompt. The school itself does not encourage teachers to freely teach; instead, it programs teachers to teach their way without accounting for the needs of individual students.

There is an overrepresentation of youths with disabilities in the juvenile justice system. As a result, each year thousands of juvenile offenders despite of the seriousness of the crimes committed, are released from incarceration with the hopes of living a successful life in society. Despite progressive research on identifying factors associated with desistance, it is still unclear what factors contribute to desistance for serious juvenile offenders and especially those with disabilities. The current study investigated the individual differences (e.g., moral disengagement, motivation to succeed and impulse control) and social factors (e.g., employment, education and maternal warmth) that are important in the process of desistance for serious juvenile offenders. The sample of 14 to 17-year-old male and female offenders (N =1354) was composed primarily of ethnically marginalized youths who have committed serious offenses. Results of the study indicated that both social and individual factors are significant predictors of desistance from crime. However, varied significance was found as it relates to Aggressive, Income Offending and desistance. Results obtained are applicable to scholarship across multiple disciplines, as well as inform policy, practice and future research on desistance from crime. Limitations of the study were also stated.

Inspired by words of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people in California and Denmark, this thesis critically analyzes the American criminal justice system and asks if critiques of the institution can be addressed and improved through the implementation of kindness and compassion within the walls of prison, itself.

This study uplifted the stories of formerly incarcerated and/or system-impacted students attending a California community college (i.e., “Rising Scholars”) to provide qualitative context to a growing literature following the state’s promotion of support programs at the University of California (UC), California State University (CSU), and California Community Colleges (CCC) systems. This study interviewed six formerly incarcerated/system impacted Rising Scholars using a narrative inquiry methodology with a theoretical framework of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Desistance theory to inquire about their educational experiences before and during their enrollment at an urban California community college with reentry support. Key themes in the interviews include trauma in early educational experiences, dropping out of college, the gendered experiences of formerly incarcerated women, the role of pregnancy and parenthood as a turning point, and authentic care expressed by the support staff. The narratives of the participants are offered as a counter-narrative to the quantitative neoliberal practice of justifying reentry programs based solely on reductions in recidivism rates. Recommendations include increasing trauma-informed pedagogy in TK-12 and Postsecondary education, recruiting and educating more allies for Rising Scholars on campus, ensuring that campus reentry support programs fully meet the needs of female Rising Scholars, and uplifting successes and scholarship by Rising Scholars to build lasting structural support for the Rising Scholars Network.

Incarceration rates and the release rate of ex-offenders into the community are both increasing. Studies have shown, on a consistent basis, that, while incarcerated, ex-offenders experience lower literacy levels than the general population, suffer emotional and mental distress from a harsh prison life, and suffer from the negative effects of public perception. Ex-offender anger abounds. These factors interfere with an inmate’s ability to communicate effectively. Notwithstanding, upon release from custody, how do we help such ex-offenders communicate? Many handbooks exist to help former inmates. However, the vast majority only offer assistance with locating government social services agencies, obtaining documents, and helping with jobs. A few offer help with finding mentors. However virtually none assist with communication techniques. Utilizing clear and simple language, A Communication Guide for Ex-Offenders fills this gap. The guide consists of three sections: the first defines basic concepts of communication, including contextual and cultural aspects. Additionally, it contains information on how ex-offenders can communicate more effectively despite suffering from various mental and emotional issues. Finally, a theoretical application focuses on the importance of disclosing information and making a favorable impression. At the end of each section, there is a review of concepts. This manual will also contain two new features in the application of communication studies and the ex-offender population: A communication ‘Bill of Rights’ for ex-offenders and a pledge on ex-offender responsibilities