Date

4-18-2025

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education in Curriculum & Instruction (EdD)

Chair

Matthew O. Ozolnieks

Keywords

Black students, students with disabilities, zero-tolerance policies, school-to-prison pipeline, suspension, cultural transmission theory

Disciplines

Educational Administration and Supervision | Special Education and Teaching

Abstract

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenology was to describe the experiences of Black students with disabilities suspended for violating a zero-tolerance policy. For this study, zero-tolerance policies were defined as rules and regulations put in place by a school system for which (alleged) violators must be suspended immediately with no administrative discretion. The theory that guided this study is geneticist Luigi Cavalli-Sforza and biologist Marcus Feldman’s cultural transmission theory (CTT), often called enculturation, which states that cultural elements such as attitudes, behaviors, beliefs and values are transmitted to individuals and groups. The central research question asked, what plausible evidence suggests that school disciplinary problems among Black students can be attributed to the CTT? Data collection involved interviews, oral histories, and questionnaires. Participants were Black males and Black females in the Southeastern United States who were suspended for zero-tolerance policy violations. Interview locations were for participants’ convenience. Data analysis consisted of open and pattern coding, theme analysis, and Carl Moustakas’ fundamental processes.

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