Dr. Curtis Mason will be presenting on Wednesday, November 19, at 12:00 noon (Room 192) in the installment of the Faculty Research Spotlight Series. Please bring your lunch or snacks and join in supporting and learning from our esteemed colleague on a critically urgent topic.
Exploring the Origins of Alternative Schools in Kansas City, Missouri, during the Early Twentieth Century
With the emergence of the juvenile court system in the United States during the late nineteenth century, juvenile justice reformers saw education as a necessary step to prevent recidivism. Philanthropic groups and juvenile court systems typically created and maintained alternative educational placements for incarcerated youth without explicit input from local school districts. This research will detail the unique partnership between the Kansas City Missouri School District, philanthropic organizations, and the juvenile court system in creating alternative schools in Jackson County, Missouri, during the early twentieth century, exploring how these three entities created an internal, differentiated alternative placement structure built on exclusionary practices.