TOPIC: SCHOOLS IN CONTEXT
Research on juvenile delinquency and schools has consistently shown that
intersectionality plays a key role in the lived experiences of kids. Whether it
be race, class, or gender, intersectionality fundamentally influences the way
kids experience the school environment, and their future outcomes. For this
topic, consider the following questions:
In what ways is school failure linked to juvenile
delinquency? For example, are kids who fail more likely to engage in
delinquent behavior? Why?
School shootings have captured the attention of
parents across the nation. What factors have been shown to be associated
with school shootings? In what ways can we address these factors to help
reduce school shootings?
The school-to-prison pipeline is a set of policies and
practices in schools that use overly harsh rules, security enhancements,
and punishments that mean for many students, school becomes a preparation
ground for prison. The American Civil Liberties Union calls these policies
a disturbing national trend wherein children are funneled out of public
schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems. What school
practices have been shown or are at least related to this phenomenon?
PAPER OUTLINE AND RUBRIC
Below are the specific sections you will need to have in your paper.
Introduction (15 points)
The introduction should, obviously, introduce the
topic to the reader. A good way to approach the introduction is to
address the following points. You may choose the order, but I’ve found
the order below can be easy enough to follow and provides some initial
cohesion to the research paper:
.
Provide a cogent example of the issue such as a news story or personal
anecdote.
i. Describe how this reflects
the larger social issue explored.
ii. Describe the extent of the
social issue (how much, where, who, etc…), and why it matters.
iii. Describe and/or explain
the general consensus about why this issue is occurring (the theories used to
explain it)
iv. Briefly summarize what the
reader will learn in the literature review in the next section of the paper.
Literature Review (25 points)
A literature review is essentially a summary of the
empirical literature about a given topic. Generally, a literature review
will draw from many different empirical articles (in this case, you will
need to find at least 5). For this section, you should expect to write
between 3-5 pages.
.
What does the current empirical literature say about the problem (review
and summarize at least 5 empirical articles about the topic)?
i. Once you have identified
the key theoretical explanations for the issue, examine the literature related
to the theory and the topic. It may be useful to review the bibliography for
the chapter and snowball from there to find empirical articles and evidence.
Responses to the Problem (25 points)
In this section, I want you to explore solutions to
the problem. Your book will provide a general overview of potential
solutions, but I want you to also examine the efficacy of these
solutions. In other words, you need to figure out if they work, or if they
have the potential to work, and why.
It may be useful to discuss policy recommendations or
programs that may be used to address the issue.
Conclusion (15 points)
Your conclusion should bring together the main ideas
and points of the research paper. Basically, I expect you to recount what
you’ve said and why it all matters.
Personal Statement (10 points)
In your personal statement, I want your opinion on
the topic. What was something you found incredibly interesting, or maybe
something you didn’t know before. In this section, feel free to really
dive into how this issue makes you feel.
Bibliography (2.5 points)
Formatting, Editing, and Grammar (7.5 points)
5-8 pages double-spaced
12-point font
1-inch margins
APA/ASA formatting for bibliography
Section headings
A minimum of 5 empirical articles cited in research
paper
All empirical articles must be from the past 10 years
Free from grammatical errors and spelling mistakes
