This study focused on the disciplining actions given to students of color after the implementation of the zero tolerance (ZT) policy in Texas’ schools. Out-of-school suspension and expulsion data were analyzed to depict trends and/or patterns across school levels as well as gender and race/ethnicity. More specifically, the disciplinary action of 34,047 elementary, middle and high school students of color suspended out-of-school and expelled in Texas’ public schools during the1999-2000 and 2002-2003 academic school years were statistically analyzed then evaluated via specific tenets of critical race theory (CRT). A critical policy analysis, as defined by the researcher, was discussed using the results of the data analysis. In addition, the predictive power of the variables school level, gender and race/ethnicity on the disciplinary action given to students of color were analyzed during the school terms under study. The most statistically significant finding of the study was the influence of ethnicity on out-of-school suspension and expulsion rates of students of color in the State of Texas after the implementation of the policy known as ZT during the selected school terms. Furthermore, of the students enrolled in public schools in Texas during the 1999-2000 and 2002-2003 school years, African-American students comprised 14.3 and 14.4 percent of the population; yet, they received more than one-third of all disciplining actions, second to European Americans who comprised 43 and 40 percent of the enrolled population. When compared to other students of color, African-American students received 53.6 and 53.9 percent of the out-of-school suspensions and 64.3 and 65.1 of the expulsions. Even though the data presented were aligned with previous research studies, the view of disciplinary actions for students of color from a critical race theory (CRT) lens highlights the deficiencies outlined via a critical policy analysis of the ZT policy as it is used to fortify the safety of schools.

Over 500,000 maternal deaths occur globally each year. Over half of these deaths take place in sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of this study was to understand the sociopolitical and cultural context of childbirth in Liberia including practices, beliefs and traditions that influence maternal health, illness and death. The concepts of vulnerability, human rights related to reproductive health, gender-based violence and war trauma within the theoretical perspectives of global feminism provide the framework for this study. Critical ethnography was used to study 10 cases of severe maternal morbidity and eight cases of maternal mortality. Data collection included participant observation, field notes and semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 54 women, family members and community members. Three major themes derived from the data were Secrecy Surrounding Pregnancy and Childbirth; Power and Authority; and Distrust of the Healthcare System. The interpretive theory, Behind the House, generated from data analysis provides an effective way of understanding the larger social and cultural context of childbirth and childbirth related practices, beliefs and traditions in Liberia. It defines the complexity and challenges women in Liberia face in their reproductive health. This interpretive theory moves beyond the biomedical understanding of birth by contextualizing childbirth as a social as well as a biological process. This study provides a starting point for more relevant, sensitive and culturally congruent public health programs and policies to address maternal morbidity and mortality in this population.