The School to Prison Pipeline from the Inside Out: Survivor Narraitves

<p>This dissertation examines the lived experiences of two Latino men who traversed the school-to-prison pipeline in the 1980s. The purpose of this study is to investigate how intersecting systems of racism, ableism, poverty, and exclusionary school practices shaped their educational trajectories and contributed to their incarceration. Three overarching research questions guide this inquiry: (1) What can be learned from the stories of two formerly incarcerated relatives that sheds light on how the school-to-prison pipeline is lived? (2) How do their narratives illustrate the impacts of exclusionary discipline policies, such as zero-tolerance, on educational opportunities and life outcomes? (3) How does the researcher's extensive experience as a special education teacher provide insights into how the pipeline operates within educational systems? This study employs a qualitative, narrative inquiry methodology. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured narrative interviews with both participants, supplemented by the researcher's professional self-narrative drawn from twenty-five years in special education. Findings reveal pervasive Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), intergenerational trauma, and systemic failures — including the misidentification of disability-related behaviors as defiance and the overuse of exclusionary discipline. The research concludes that educational systems, despite good intentions, can unknowingly criminalize students who experience trauma and who have disabilities, particularly students of color. It is recommended that educators, legislators, and communities dismantle punitive systems and replace them with restorative, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive practices that center student dignity and voice.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D. Doctor of Education

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation - Public Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Disability and Equity in Education

Year dc:date.available

2026

Author dc:creator

• Koufalias, Nina M

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Terry Jo Smith
• Dr. Jimmy Caldwell
• Dr. Sandra Gonzalez-Adamski

• School-to- Prison Pipeline; Adverse Childhood Experiences; Generational Trauma; DisCrit; Trauma Informed Practices
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Disability and Equity in Education
• Disability Law
• Education
• Special Education and Teaching
• Teacher Education and Professional Development

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/993

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.nl.edu:diss-2064