Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

6-2026

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Urban Education

Advisor

Jan Valle

Committee Members

James F. Wilson

Michelle Fine

Jonathan P. Jones

Subject Categories

Art Education | Arts and Humanities | Disability and Equity in Education | Performance Studies | Prison Education and Reentry | Special Education and Teaching | Theatre and Performance Studies

Keywords

School-to-prison pipeline, Arts-Based Educational Research (ABER), DisCrit (Disability Critical Race Theory), Applied theater, ethnodrama, juvenile justice, special education

Abstract

New York City is the largest city in the United States and home to the nation's largest school system.  NYC public schools are also the country's most segregated, according to a 2021 report from the UCLA Civil Rights Project.  This qualitative, Arts-Based Research study follows the development and performance of an applied theater piece created by formerly incarcerated and court-involved youth exploring their early educational experiences before encountering the juvenile justice system. Using Disability/Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) and Critical Performance Ethnography this project investigates how structural systems of education and incarceration intersect to construct youth as "others," including special education, the school-to-prison pipeline, and mental health interventions such as counseling and hospitalization. An audience research component examines the performance's impact and explores how performers experience the vulnerability of sharing their truths in public.

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