Educator and Student Relationships in Juvenile Correctional Schools: The Role of Racial Trauma

• In Event: Seeking Truth About the Context of School-to-Prison Nexus: Role of Racial Trauma and Healing

Abstract

Purpose. Juvenile correctional schools provide public education for incarcerated youth. Relationships between educators and students are particularly important here, given the racialized marginalization many incarcerated youth have experienced throughout their educational journey. Extending work on the role of educator-student relationships for Latina/o/x students, this mixed methods study seeks to understand the role of educator-student relationships in addressing micro and macro forms of racial trauma. Specifically, we examine how educators’ social and emotional well being and their understanding of micro and macro forms of racial trauma mediate efforts to strengthen school climate. We argue that more research is needed on racial trauma experienced by Latina/o/x students in correctional facilities and on educators' conceptions of racial trauma.
Theoretical Framework. Students’ and educators’ social emotional skills is a critical dimension of school climate and the success of instructional interventions targeting students (Murano et al., 2019, Jennings et al., 2017). Educators, like students, experience trauma, which impacts how they respond to students’ needs and to wellness practices. Social emotional learning initiatives, like all forms of educational reform, unfold within highly racialized settings (Ray, 2019; Kim et al., 2022). Educators in juvenile correctional schools where Black and Latina/o/x students are disproportionately respresented, are responsible for enacting an anti-racist curriculum, and yet there is virtually no research on how their actions shape curriculum implementation.
Methods. This study used a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design using two phases. We administered surveys to 137 staff working at a large County Office of Education (COE) across eight juvenile court schools. Multilevel models assessed the extent of SEL and antiracism content integration into the curriculum as predicted by race, gender, personal well-being, and perception of school support. Interview participants represented a convenience (opt-in) sample, drawn from the survey. While drawing on quantitative survey data, analysis for this paper focuses primarily on qualitative data including 19 semi-structured zoom interviews and document analysis of 19 artifacts.
Results. The paper reports on three main preliminary findings. First, we argue that in juvenile correctional facilities, teachers' roles are not just to be educators, but to be caring adults that build trust and rapport with students. Second, educators in our study, based their understanding of students’ social and emotional needs on informal interactions with students in which students shared stories of prior and on-going trauma. Third, analysis of survey and interview data revealed blind spots in educators’ conceptions of racial trauma, specifically how it might manifest differently depending on individual and organizational context.
Significance. The study’s findings offer new and needed insights on the importance of building rapport with students, given the racial trauma students carry with them, which affects their social and academic needs. This research identifies both areas for future research and policy recommendations at local and national levels. Educators need to be equipped with the proper knowledge and skills to build rapport with students and fully address their social and academic needs, in preparation for life beyond juvenile correctional schools.

Authors

• Jessica Leila Carranza, University of Southern California
  Presenting Author

• Patricia Burch, University of Southern California
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jessenia De Leon, University of Southern California
  Non-Presenting Author

• B. Elizabeth Kim, University of California - Los Angeles
  Non-Presenting Author

• Adrian H. Huerta, University of Southern California
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alvin Makori, University of Southern California
  Non-Presenting Author