BEP2 Task 1: EBD students And Prison

Task 1

BEP2

Kelly Rynberg
March 21, 2017

A Written Project Presented to the Faculty of the Teachers College Of

Western Governors University

TOPIC: EBD STUDENTS AND INCARCERATION

 Research Topic

Students with emotional disabilities are three times as likely to end up in the prison

system before leaving high school then general education students.(Mader,2017) These

students often get a bad reputation at the school they attend, and it follows them from

grade to grade.

Students with emotional disabilities can be impulsive, inattentive, or

aggressive, and displays behavior that gets them in trouble daily at

school.(Mader,2017)When were talking about emotional or behavioral disabilities,

were really talking about kids with serious mental health needs, said Reece

Peterson, a professor of special education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Students that do not receive the appropriate help for their disabilities often

end up in the system never receiving proper education. These students fall

behind in their academics without the chance of catching back up. Once these

students feel like they will never catch up they give up and become a bigger

behavior problem or drop out of school.

It is difficult to know the exact reason that so many of these EBD kids end

up incarcerated. Many blame the schools and teachers, others blame the lack of

resources that are made available to people with mental health problems. There

TOPIC: EBD STUDENTS AND INCARCERATION

are many different theories on why such a high number of EBD students are

incarcerated but Unfortunately, a solution has not been found.

Literature Search

Researching EBD students and incarceration lead me to a plethora of

information and articles on the internet. The literature review was a little more

tedious and time consuming because of the amount of information.

First I had to decide on a topic that I would research, I felt it was

important to pick a topic that was near and dear to my heart. This year I have 15

EBD students and often feel that there is not enough support for them to

succeed. I researched this topic on the internet and found an overwhelming

amount of information. I then went on a search for review journals, textbooks,

articles to be sure that there was information about my topic. I was able to clearly

identify the major issues and controversies surrounding the topic that I picked.

There is a lot of avenues that I could have taken with this topic but after looking

over all the information I felt it was easily narrowed down to EBD Students and

Incarceration.

Before solidifying my topic I thought it was important to brainstorm the

many avenues that I could take with this topic and sort out what I would and

would not use in this paper. It was hard to narrow down becasue of all the

information that is available on the correlation between special education

students( minorities, women, men etc.) and the roads that their disabilities lead

them.

In my research, I found that using certain keyword helped me weed out

most information that did not apply to my topic. I also tried to use key phrases

from articles that I found credible to pull up more information on my topic.

I found that e-journals provided me with plentiful information becasue of

this, I used them as a primary source. E-Journals and scholarly articles allowed

for keyword searches and made full text available to me. This also provided me

with an enormous amount of information, which was not always relevant to my

topic. It is important that while determining which information is relevant to your

topic that you are checking your sources and making sure that they are credible.

After determining if the source is credible searches for other material that they

have written or sources they have cited can be searched and open doors to even

more material.

The internet was also very helpful in my research. Again, there is an enormous

amount of information on my topic that is credible and leads to other sources of

information. There is so much information on this topic that it can be

overwhelming and you can easily get sidetracked becasue of the many avenues

that this topic can lead you to.

Key Words

Key words that I used during my search opened many avenues for me

throughout the rest of my search. The words that I used were emotional behavior

disorder and prison,special education and prison.

Additional Key Words

Some of the other word that helped with this search that I found after using my

initial key words were: Special education and prison pipeline. Incarceration.

Useful Keywords

These words also produced some very interesting information. Minorities and

Special Education.
 Annotated Bibliography

Mader,Jackie; Butrymowicz,Sarah (2014) The Hechinger Report. Retrieved March 2,

2017,fromhechingerreport.org/pipeline-prison-special-education-often-leads-jail-thousands-

american-children/

The research website article follows and describes a student who was arrested at age

12 and charged with three counts of assault. This student suffers from a bipolar disorder which

causes him to act out. The article points out that as a society we need to give students with

mental health issues support and the right help. When we push them into the juvenile court

systems they miss school and fall behind without a way to catch up. This study was qualitative

becasue it explored the connection between EBD students and incarceration. A strength of this

article is the examples and statics it used to back up their research. A weakness of this article is

that some of the statics that were used was in 1997, leaving readers to wonder what the

updates statics are.

 Mallett, C. A. (2016). The School-To-Prison Pipeline : A Comprehensive Assessment.

New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

This book explores the practices that the school systems, and particularly in those

schools that are overburdened and underfinanced, use to punish those students that are not

doing what they are supposed to be doing while in the classroom. Mallett explains that schools

are suspending and expelling students in high numbers, which place them at risk in entering the

pipeline to prison. Mallett goes on to point out that we are not helping these kids,many of which

suffer from mental disabilities. We are not getting them the help they need to be successful. We

are setting them up for failure. Mallett also blames the justice system for giving out harsh

punishments when these kids are brought forth with their first offense. Again, causing a

downward spiral for these kids. A strength of this book was that there were many great points

made and backed up with statics. I was able to get more resources on information on my topic

from this book. A weakness of this book was it influenced by the biases of the researcher.
Vanderhaar, Judi; Munoz, Marco;Petrosko, Joseph (2014) Reconsidering the Alternatives: The

Relationship Between Suspension, Disciplinary Alternative School Placement, Subsequent

Juvenile Detention, and the Salience of Race. Journal of Applied Research on Children; 2014,

Vol. 5 Issue 2, preceding p1-32, 33p

The article examines the relationship between disciplinary alternative school placement, out of

school suspensions and race using Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) in Kentucky as the

site of the study. These authors feel that there are strong connections between alternative

placement for disciplinary action and prison. They suggest that schools overuse suspensions

and placements in alternative schools lead these high risk students to juvenile detention and

prison. They also touched on the effects of race and a troubled school life, which leads to a

troubled adult life. The strength of this article is that it was direct and gave useful information on

the relationship between suspension, alternative placement and race without being confusing.

The weakness of this article is that was targeting one geographic area, not the entire state.
 Advancement Project. (2005). Education on lockdown: The schoolhouse to jailhouse

track. Washington, DC: Author.

Education on Lockdown: The Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Track. This resource is the second

project done by the Advancement project. They follow 3 school districts in 3 different areas of

the country. They document their policy on school punishments. They feel that they zero

tolerance law has made it hard on students to get a fair second chance when a mistake has

been made. They strongly believe that schools need more funding for social workers and

counselors. Students that have behavioral problems early on usually have them throughout their

lives. If we could get them the help that they needed oppose to suspending them they could

grow up to be contributing members of society. The strengths of this resource is that it covers 3

different demographics and gives numerous statistics. The weakness of this study is that it

seemed influenced by the researchers on this project.

Stanton E. Samenow Ph.D.A "School to Prison Pipeline"? Is there a mistaken concept here?

Psychology Today. Retrieved April 26, 2017 from

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/inside-the-criminal-mind/201401/school-prison-pipeline

A "School to Prison Pipeline"?Is there a mistaken concept here?

This article is about how disruptive one or two students with the rest of the general population. It

suggests that we as a society have no where to put these kids. They are either left in the

classroom to disrupt and disturb them rest of the class or they are dumped in an alternative

school with other kids that are just as disruptive. They don't end up getting the help they need

to lead productive lives. The article also conveys its dismay with the zero tolerance policy. The

author believes that this policy contributes to the school to prison pipeline. The Author suggests

that we have a flawed policy system and flawed disciplinary beliefs in the school system. He

suggests that we provide more services to the students that need it in order to help them

instead of making their problems worse by suspending them or sending them away to an

alternative school. A strength of this article is that its author is a reputable doctor in the

psychology field. A weakness is that there are no other listed making this bias to the author's

beliefs.
Martha Ellen Wynne, Ashley E. Ausikaitis, Mary Satchwell Adult Outcomes for Children and

Adolescents With EBD Understanding Parents Perspectives. March

2013.http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244013483133

This article was very interesting, it used statistics to show the positive correlation between EBD

students that stayed in school and their adult lives and the negative effects that EBD students

had in their adult life if they were suspended or expelled. This article was able to use

quantitative and qualitative data to study the outcome of EBD students adult life. The poor

choices that these students make at a very young age effect the life that they led as an adult. A

strength of this article is that it used both qualitative and quantitative data to provide some solid

results to its readers. A weakness of this article is that it could have been organized more

effectively to ensure that the reader is able to follow what is being written.
Julianne Hing Race, Disability and the School-to-Prison Pipeline.MAY 13, 2014

http://www.colorlines.com/articles/race-disability-and-school-prison-pipeline

This article speaks to the points of disability vs. disadvantage. The author speaks about a

charter school that was set up to help those students that are at risk. The behavior problems at

school are provided with support from the school social worker. They are taught coping skills

and how to redirect their anger in a positive manner. The charter school has seen great success

with this approach. They have seen a decrease in the special education to incarceration

pipeline. The strength of this article was that it had great statics. A weakness in this article is

that it is bias .
Mallett, Christopher A. The "Learning Disabilities to Juvenile Detention" Pipeline: A Case Study.

Children & Schools. Vol. 36 Issue 3, p147-154. 8p Ju 2014

This academic article focuses on getting youths that are in trouble with school and law

enforcement the help that they need. This goes over the correlation between special education

and the link to incarceration. They discuss how when an adolescent is placed into the special

education system that the percentage of incarceration increases. Early intervention and support

for these students is key in having them be successful as adults. This article goes on to say that

although they cant be 100% sure of the link between Special education and incarceration, the

research suggests that the link is there. A strength of this article is that it offers several different

hypothesis as to why these kids end up in the juvenile system. A weakness of this article is that

if offers many hypothesis without credible research.

Lehr,Camilla A,McComas, Jennifer ( 2005 ) Students with emotional Behavioral Disorders:

Promoting Positive Outcomes. Fostering Success in School and Beyond for Students with

Emotional/Behavior Disorders Volume 18 . Number 2 . Spring 2005

In this scholarly article the authors write about promoting success in schools with the emotional

behavior student by the use of positives and proper support for their disability. They write about

how EBD students are at the greatest risk for dropping out of school as compared to regular

education students without disabilities. The article states that Nearly 46% of the incarcerated

youth with a disability were identified as having EBD.

The authors go on to point out that if EBD kids are given the help and support that they need

while in school instead of expelled and or suspended that they will have a greater chance to

succeed. A strength of this article is that if offers the readers great information on some

solutions on how to help EBD students succeed while they are in school. A weakness of this

article is that although some great suggestions are offered the sources were not credible.
Tara W Strine, MPH, Catherine A Lesesne, PhD, MPH, Catherine A Okoro, MS, Lisa C McGuire, PhD, Daniel
P Chapman, PhD, MSc, Lina S Balluz, ScD, and Ali H Mokdad, PhD.Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties
and Impairments in Everyday Functioning Among Children With a History of Attention-
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.Prev Chronic Dis. 2006 Apr; 3(2): A52.Published online 2006 Mar 15.PEER REVIEWED

This scholarly study suggests that there is a link between ADHD and Emotional Behavioral

Disorder. This study suggests that once a child is diagnosed with ADHD the caregiver should be

on the lookout for behavior problems. The study goes on to suggest that those with heightened

behavior problems while young will have problems in their adult life that may lead to incarnation.

A strength of this study is that there are many credible sources. A weakness of this study is that

although the statistics that they used came from many credible sources, they were used to

support the author's opinion and out of context making this basis.
Bradley, R., Doolittle, J. & Bartolotta, R. J Behav Educ (2008) Building on the Data and Adding
to

the Discussion: The Experiences and Outcomes of Students with Emotional Disturbance.

Springer US 17: 4. doi:10.1007/s10864-007-9058-6

This article discusses the many struggles that EBD students have throughout their early years

of school. Without the proper support and guidance many of these students grow up to lead a

life of crime. The outlook for these kids is dismal. They are often expelled or suspended from

school and thrown into the juvenile system at an early age. This becomes a cycle for these

youngsters and they are never truly helped so they end up in jail. A strength of this article is that

is organized well and has a lot of information that is easy to understand. A weakness of this

article is that
Harris, P., Baltodano, H., Artiles, A., & Rutherford, R. (2006). Integration of Culture in Reading Studies for

Youth in Corrections: A Literature Review. Education and Treatment of Children,29(4), 749-778.

Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/42900562. Peer reviewed.

This article discusses how the majority of youth in our correctional facilities have had a negative

school experience. These youths who have low rates of achievement in school and at home

have a greater chance of ending up incarcerated than your average student. This article points

out that if more youth were given reading intervention that they would be more successful. A

strength of this article is that it gives the reader statistical information on the number of youths

that are incarcerated and have had behavior problems in school resulting in a negative

experience for the youth. A weakness of this article is that it is outdated.

Vanderhaar, Judi,Munoz, Marco, Petrosko, Joseph (2014)

Reconsidering the Alternatives: The Relationship Between Suspension, Disciplinary Alternative

School Placement, Subsequent Juvenile Detention, and the Salience of Race.Journal of Applied

Research on Children; 2014, Vol. 5 Issue 2, preceding p1-32, 33p Peer Reviewed

This article touches on the zero-tolerance policy and how it is affecting students with Behavior

issues and race. These two factors go hand in hand in bigger cities. It has become a real issue

becasue these youth are sent into the juvenile system in no time with the zero tolerance policy.

These students are not offered the help and the support that they need to turn their life around.

Instead they are shipped out to alternative schools, suspended and or expelled. All of these

negative consequences usually result in a life of crime for these youth. A strength of this article

is that it is fairly recent (Within 5 years) statistics. A weakness of this article is that although it

gives good statistics about EBD and incarceration it primarily focuses on race.
Carran, Deborah,Kerins, Maric Murray, Susan ( 2005 ) Three-Year Outcomes for Positively

and Negatively Discharged EBD Students From Nonpublic Special Education

Facilities.Behavioral Disorders; February 2005, Vol. 30 Issue 2, p119-134, 16p. Peer reviewed

This article followed students that were pulled from a public-school setting and placed in a

nonpublic special education facility. These students had higher success rates than that of their

peers that were left in the public school system with no support. This study suggests that with

the proper supports in place the special education to incarnation pipeline would decrease

greatly. EBD students need the proper support in order to make them successful. The less

support they are given and the more suspensions and expulsions that are given pave the path

to incarnation. A strength of this article is that it offers great statistics on the success of the

students that were pulled from the public institution and given the support that was needed to

help them be successful during adulthood. A weakness of this article is that there is not enough

credible data to support the results.