Date

6-17-2026

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (EdD)

Chair

Matthew Ozolnieks

Keywords

critical race theory, implicit bias, racism, preschool to prison pipeline, disproportionate, marginalized, inequities

Disciplines

Educational Leadership

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative intrinsic case study was to explore the collaborative efforts to mitigate the preschool-to-prison pipeline among stakeholders at one public elementary school in a southern city in Louisiana. The preschool-to-prison pipeline represents a systemic issue in which children, particularly those from marginalized racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, face punitive disciplinary practices in schools, increasing their likelihood of future involvement with the criminal justice system. Guided by critical race theory and the communities of practice framework, this study sought to understand the systemic factors contributing to the pipeline and examined the strategies stakeholders used to address these inequities. The central research question of this study was: What were the lived experiences of stakeholders at an elementary school regarding their collaborative efforts to address and mitigate the preschool-to-prison pipeline? The research question uncovered how collaboration among stakeholders promoted equity, addressed systemic racial biases, and integrated the voices of students, families, and educators in the design and evaluation of policies and programs. The study collected data through semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and document analysis to capture the lived experiences of participants. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis incorporating open and inductive coding techniques. By centering the voices of those most affected, this research contributed to the literature by emphasizing the role of systemic collaboration in addressing the preschool-to-prison pipeline and offering practical recommendations for stakeholders.

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