This qualitative study examines how elementary students of Color develop and enact an abolitionist praxis as part of a "Freedom Dreaming" literacy unit. The analysis of focus-group interviews elucidates how, after learning about freedom dreaming and the abolition of prisons and police, students positioned historical anti-carceral…

The North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has developed two methods of working with low-literacy students. One is testing for accommodations for GED testing. The other is integrating the STAR literacy program for adult readers.

Many U.S. schools utilize grade retention (repeating grades when not meeting academic benchmarks) to allow more time for students to learn grade level material. However, some research suggests retention may increase inequalities and not help students progress. We use national data (Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study 2014-2017) and…

This article aims to present youth and adult education in the prison context, evaluating its effectiveness in resocialization from the observation of the pedagogical-administrative management of an elementary education school located in a medium-security prison in the city of João Pessoa, state of Paraiba. The justification for this study is the…

This article presents findings from a participatory evaluation of alumni groups--Think Tanks--affiliated with the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program. Think Tanks are cocurricular settings wherein participants develop and apply skills and capacities valuable within and beyond the context of meetings. Data come from nine focus groups convened in…

In their scholarship on the connections between schools and prisons, education researchers have recently taken up the theoretical frameworks of abolition and abolitionist teaching, but have yet to conduct studies with abolitionist teachers. Drawing inspiration from praxis-oriented, critical ethnographic, and participatory research, as well as the…

Trauma negatively impacts a student's ability to build trust and relationships, which in turn can negatively impact their ability to learn and maintain knowledge. Research shows that K-12 institutions that lead through a trauma-informed lens can have a positive impact on learning outcomes for students. However, the relationship between a…

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought about massive change to adult education programs, with many programs either closing or pivoting to virtual instruction almost overnight. Programs in correctional settings, where internet access is less available, appeared particularly hard hit with pandemic closures. In January 2022, the Prison Literacy…

There is an overrepresentation of elementary-age, Black boys being suspended across the United States. Researchers have found that if these boys are disconnected from school at an early age, they are at risk of becoming part of the school-to-prison pipeline (STPP). Educators, particularly those in urban settings, need to understand more about the…

Exclusionary discipline is used in public schools across the United States. Schools are using suspension and expulsion to punish students for wrongdoing. Removing students from their learning environment has proved detrimental. Moreover, there are racial disparities among the students being subjected to exclusionary discipline. There are…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how school leaders in Title I elementary (K-8) schools in the Atlantic Coast region describe the factors that lead black male students to the school-to-prison (STPP), what strategies they use to create social justice within the school and divert students from the school-to-prison…

In 2017, a mathematics education intervention in the Doña Ana County Detention Center, Las Cruces, New Mexico, was begun by two retired professors of mathematics as a volunteer project. The program now provides internship and master's thesis opportunities for students in the Department of Criminal Justice at New Mexico State University. The…

Throughout the field of corrections in the United States, the prevalent question in regard to reentry preparation of offenders is, "what works?" With a renewed focus on providing meaningful program opportunities for offenders that enable real and sustained changes for reentry success, which has been partially driven by overcrowded prison…

Much of the public does not realize that incarcerated individuals have the opportunity, and at times are mandated, to participate in adult education programming. Thus, teaching in the corrections setting is something that many people never consider as a career option. There are no undergraduate or graduate majors that can prepare someone to teach…

The implementation of zero-tolerance policies in the educational system has laid the foundations for the criminalization of minority youth and the school-to-prison pipeline (Mora & Christianakis, 2013). In 2015, the passage of Every Student Succeeds Act sought to decrease the schools-to-prison pipeline and minimize discipline and achievement…