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Statement of the Problem

The school-to-prison pipeline is a phenomenon that describes at risk youth who are over represented in the juvenile justice system. Several factors cause at-risk youth to transition from the school system to juvenile system. Cramer, E. D., Gonzalez, L., & Pellegrini-Lafont, C. (2014) conducted research which indicated that African American males that have been diagnosed with a learning disability are the highest risk group to be subjected to this phenomenon. The second highest at risk group are Latino males. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (2011), both African American and Latino males also make up the majority of the prison population and dropout rate. This correlation has been studied and proven to be an effect of the criminalization of at risk youth, usually for non-violent offenses. Many studies conducted have shown a clear link between school expulsion in the form of outdoor suspension and juvenile detention. According to Cuellar, A. E., & Markowitz, S. (2015) Out-of-school suspension may increase criminal offending behavior by problem youth, more than doubling the probability of arrest. Wilson, H. (2014) also argues the same point that school expulsion and suspensions is the leading contributor to school-to prison pipeline phenomenal. More than a Metaphor: The Contribution of Exclusionary Discipline to a School-to-Prison Pipeline the authors highlight that there is a direct correlation between an increase of student suspension, which doubled from 1974 to 2010, to the creation of the school-to-prison pipeline. When students are placed on outdoor suspension, too often they are left without any adult supervision which leads to an increase likelihood of them engaging in criminal behavior. It is the engagement of the criminal behavior while out of school that propels youth into the pipeline. The problem is that poor, minority students who are classified under special education are over represented in the school-to-prison pipeline phenomenon.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this qualitative study is to identify measures that will reduce the number of at risk youth being funneled through the school-to-prison pipeline. The study will provide the best way of engaging at-risk youth in school. The study will also identify the support needed to assist at risk youth in developing appropriate behavior. The study will be conducted in a large urban school setting in South Florida. The participants will be poor, African American and Latino, middle school students, ages 11-16; who have been placed on outdoor or indoor suspension.

Research Questions

Frequently, at-risk youth feel disengaged starting at an early age. The study of Bell (2015) cites student lack of positive schooling experience as a primary cause of disengagement. Bell concludes that fostering a positive school experience includes validation, fair & justice treatment when misconduct occurs, and high expectations. According to Rocque & Paternoster (2011) another factor to student engagement is a curriculum that students connect with. The research questions guiding this study are:

Q1. What teaching and classroom structure will keep at-risk youth engaged? Do at-risk youth perform better in a teacher focused vs a student focused classroom structure?

Q2. What positive behavioral plan is effective in reducing or eliminating school suspensions of at-risk youth?