Kathleen Nolan’s dissertation proposal

Kathleen Nolan’s proposal, “Disciplining Urban Youth: An ethnographic study of the relationship between schools and prisons”, is clearly written with lots of passion, knowledge, and purposeful intent. Her description of the proposed research stirred strong responses from me and left me thinking about the importance and immense need for critical social research. Nolan provides the readers (reviewers) with a rich description of the problem (negative educational experiences that may lead minority students into jail), the reasoning/background for the framework (the pressures and contingencies that act upon students of color), the logic for the methodology selection (ethnographic inquiry), and the significance of the proposed work (not just describing the patterns of problems, but also providing hope).

In order to best describe the strong connection between the different sections of her proposal, in the following paragraphs I will describe each one separately and address the consistent undertone throughout the proposal.

Goals

Nolan begins her proposal by describing her time as a public high school teacher in NYC. In her introductory section she raises questions about equity, “why are some urban schools not getting the resources they desperately need?” and the connection between schools and the criminal justice [or injustice] system, “Why are some schools becoming more like prisons than perhaps ever before?” In this way, Nolan sets up the argument that individual cases of students entering the criminal justice system are the result of a greater pattern of oppression that is consistent and observable. The purpose of her proposed research project becomes clear as she makes the case that the resulting structures (i.e. police presence in some schools) is directly connected to the ideology that sees urban youth (mostly minorities) as dangerous and requiring suppression. As Anyon (2009) suggested, this approach enables Nolan to explore the problem of the disproportionate number of minority youth in jail by looking “exogenously”. In other words, Nolan is interested in the students that end up in jail, as much as she is also interested in the environmental contingencies that “produce a flow of certain students into the criminal justice system.”

Research questions

Nolan’s questions are ambitious and powerful. Without having to directly pointing to it, Nolan asks questions that target the purpose, ideology, and legitimacy of the school discipline procedures, as these demonstrate the interconnection between racists, elitists and classist people (legislatures) and structures. Nolan is not shy about calling out the historical events that have lead to the current situation. While at the same time, she calls for an exploration of the “lived experience” of the youth that is currently suffering the consequences and results of a system that is not truly fair. Lastly, Nolan does not excuse violent behavior, but instead proposes that these behaviors are not random, but instead these acts may be influenced by the unjust historical context.

Literature review

Nolan situates her work in three main literature themes: a. Critical educational studies, b. Changing role of urban public schools, and c. Repressive (disciplining) elements of schools.

Nolan explores these three main bodies of literature and shows that they are connected and interrelated. With these literature themes, Nolan exposes and clarifies her framework, even if she does not isolate it nor directly name it. In order to position her work within the larger historical and social context, Nolan describes several important and connected areas of research including: mass incarceration and its consequences of urban communities, the political and economic roots of mass incarceration, theories of punishment, urban youth violence, policies and public rhetoric, and finally, the connection between urban youth violence, schooling and punishment. Throughout Nolan’s presentation of the literature, one of the most pertinent and present connectors is the neo-liberal policies and ideals which use the criminal justice system as a legal (and often seen as moral) method for controlling poor people.

Methodology

In her proposal, Nolan makes a strong case for her methodology selection. Ethnography as a inquiry method enables her to describe the immediate events in her participants’ (guides) lives. But more importantly, it also allows her to explore, describe, and situate those events to a larger historical and social context. Nolan describes how she plans on extending her research work in order to connect the micro (individual cases of students and the criminal justice system) and the macro (social structures and history). Lastly, it is also important to point out that Nolan has set out to do research FOR social justice. There is no doubt that Nolan is a committed researcher who not only wants to understand what and why it is happening, but also wants to improve the lives of those she studies.

Methods

Since Nolan is using an extended ethnographic approach her choice of school, participants, interviewing protocols, selection of historical analysis and case studies, all speak about a theoretical framework which values the interconnectedness of the individuals and the greater context. Nolan also describes the fact that the proposed work builds on the work of many others that have already explored and exposed the connection between school experiences and the criminal justice system. Lastly, the inclusion of the neighborhood data and the following of the students involved in disciplinary cases, is an addition to the body of literature which will surely enrich the exposition of the connection between schools and jails.

Analysis

Like the rest of her proposal, Nolan’s analysis section describes the importance of connecting themes and exploring the larger with the minute. Moreover, even with the described approach to analysis Nolan doesn’t want limit herself by selecting a single analysis approach, instead she describes that this will be an ongoing process which will incorporate existing theories, data collection and data analysis. Nolan concludes her proposal by describing the potential significance of this work. She hopes that the analysis of the lived experience of these youth involved with the criminal justice system will eventually guide policy makers, and also point to possibility of change and hope.

Conclusion

Nolan’s proposal is overwhelming to me! She is proposing to take on a very challenging problem and she specifies large and complex data sources. Nolan’s approach is commendable, but I don’t know how she will accomplish all she proposes during her time as a doctoral student (this seems more like the work of a lifetime). She is clearly interested in social justice and her writing screams about the system that both punishes and perpetuates the causes of crime. From her perspective, oppression is alive and well - underhandedly holding some down because of their circumstances.

Lastly, given the large scope of Nolan’s proposal, I wondered about the approval of her pilot as well as this current proposal. Since she posits that the individual is affected by the larger social structures, she plans on including an expansive set of data points. Some of these data sources will be sensitive in nature (e.g. personal histories with suspensions and the criminal justice system). Undoubtedly, this work is invaluable and needed, and I am glad she is willing to do all this difficult work including the submission for approval of this proposal. Nolan is inspiring!

How does critical social theory help her design a cohesive, coherent, rich, and important project? Be specific. (1-2 paragraphs)


Nolan’s proposal is a powerful demonstration that research is needed in order to expose the injustices our society perpetuates. Under Nolan’s lenses, what can seemingly be viewed as an easy explanation for the disciplinary actions of schools, can in fact be explored and connected to the larger social and cultural oppression of young minority boys. After reading Nolan’s proposal it is easy to feel uncomfortable with the status quo. In many ways, Nolan uses critical social theory to expose the unfair ideologies, structures and policies which oppress urban youth. For example, by exploring the historical changes that have taken place over the last decades (i.e. depletion of vital economic resources and opportunities through deindustrialization), Nolan exposes the underlying currents that have led to new patterns of mass incarceration. Also, Nolan describes the dismissive description of minority youth as predators, which leaves out the social, political, and economic forces that are at play for these youth, and result in punishment which benefit the middle and upper classes.

It is obvious to me that Nolan is vested in this work and her description of her participants, as well as the environmental variables indicate to me that she is positioning herself as an ethnographer and an agent for change. This work is extremely important and Nolan’s exposure of the limiting reality of the meritocracy ideas of society, enabled me as a reader to feel that discomfort with things as they are.