FOCUS
Alec’s passion for research involves developing a school-based integrated model that involves restorative justice and Youth Participatory Action Research within a Multi-tiered Systems of Support framework. He wants to develop this model to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline metaphor that disproportionately affects children of color. Many children of color who come from urban backgrounds may arrive to their schools having experienced the traumas of poverty, community violence, over-policing, and other various issues in these communities. All of these experiences can play a role in their mental health and behaviors, which are not often considered in school disciplinary practices. These practices can be harmful to students, and school can become another place of trauma. This integrated model will be a school practice for children to voice their concerns about what is happening in their lives and shifts the focus to dealing with student issues in a more restorative way.
MORE ABOUT ALEC
Alec is a native of Coney Island—a small section in New York City. It is famous for being one of America’s earliest amusement parks, but also highly criminalizes males of color. Alec is dedicated to changing the narrative of males of color in his community through his work in schools and higher education, where they are underrepresented.
DISSERTATION GRANT AWARDEE — SUMMER 2023
The Muunganiko Curriculum: A Piloted Tier 2 Intervention that Integrates Restorative Justice and Youth Participatory Action Research
The purpose of this study is to explore the outcomes of a piloted 21-lesson curriculum that integrates restorative practices and youth participatory research. This a phenomenological pilot study that examines the perceptions of the 8-10 participants who are UMass Boston Students in their first year with the task to recall high school experiences and then implement the curriculum. Only a portion of the curriculum will be done due to the setting of the study.
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