School Reentry: Exploring Healing-Centered Mechanisms for Formerly Incarcerated Transition-Age Black Males in an Urban Intensive, Asset-Based Alternative School

As schools take on more responsibility for promoting student mental health, there is an increasing focus on how educational policies and practices enhance psychological well-being. However, research has yet to fully examine how alternative school environments support student mental health, especially for those facing structural inequities related to exclusionary discipline and system involvement. This exploratory qualitative case study examined how an urban intensive, asset-based alternative high school supports the mental health of formerly incarcerated transition-age (18–25) Black male students during reentry. Drawing on interviews (n = 12), observations (n = 33), a focus group (n = 4), and document review, analyzed using thematic analysis with the Radical Healing Framework as an interpretive lens, four interconnected themes emerged: academic engagement and high school completion as sources of future orientation; employment preparation as a pathway to economic stability and purpose; social-emotional stability fostered through relational support and collective care; and liberation from system involvement as relief from racialized surveillance. These mechanisms were perceived as reducing psychological distress, supporting emotional regulation, and promoting a sense of belonging and agency within and outside the alternative school context. Implications for healing-centered, culturally responsive educational policy, practice, and future research are discussed.