Peace Through Education
Johanna Marie Thomas

Johanna Marie Thomas

Assoc Professor

J. William Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences

(SCSW)-School of Social Work

Phone: 479-575-3200

Fax: 479-575-7510

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Johanna M. Thomas, Ph.D., LMSW is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at The University of Arkansas and a licensed social worker in the State of Arkansas. Her research interests include truancy prevention and intervention, school social work, juvenile justice and programming, as well as program implementation and evaluation. Dr. Thomas has completed several evaluations for TANF programs in the State of Arkansas including kinship subsidies, financial assistance, and most recently, Individual Development Accounts. Dr. Thomas has also evaluated a statewide truancy intervention program. Recently, Dr. Thomas was awarded a large interdiciplinary grant from the Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. She will be teaming up with 5 other disciplines across two colleges to train transition specialists to work in the schools in Northwest Arkansas. 

Research Interests

Program Evaluation

Poverty, Inequality and Resource Disadvantage

Juvenile Justice and Alternative Interventions

Social Welfare and Social Isolation

School Social Work

Courses

Research and Technology I & II

Grant Writing for Social Workers

Social Work Policy

Diversity

Human Behavior in the Social Environment I & II

MSLC with Adults

Education

Bachelor of Art in Sociology/Correction from the University of Akron (2002)

Master of Social Work from Louisiana State University (2006)

Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work from Louisiana State University (2011)

Publications

  1. Thomas, J., Collier-Tenison, S., Maxwell, D. & Cheek, C. (2017). TANF Participation and Intimate Partner Violence: Exploring Barriers to Self-Sufficiency. International Journal of Social Science Studies, 5.
  2. Stauss, K., Sparks, L., Thomas, J. & Grant, K. (2017). Letters to children: Findings of a Program to Enhance Communication of Incarcerated Mothers and their Children. Corrections: Policy, Practice and Research.
  3. Rhodes, J.L.F., Thomas, J. & Liles, A (In Press). Predictors of Grade Retention Among Children in an Elementary School Truancy Intervention. Journal of At-Risk Issues.
  4. Thomas, S., Drawve, G., & Thomas, J. (In Press). Exploring the generality of the influence of institutional isolation among youth on crime. Deviant Behavior.
  5. Thomas, J. (2017). An Evaluation of the Truancy Assessment and Service Center (TASC) Early Truancy Intervention Program with a Regression Discontinuity Design: A Replication Study. Children and Youth Service Review, 78.
  6. Thomas, J., Thomas, S., Burgason, K., & Wichinsky, L. (2014). Early contact with the criminal justice system and intellectual functioning as risk factors for violent and chronic adult offending.  Western Criminology Review, 15.
  7. Wichinsky, L., Thomas, J., DeJohn, T.V., & Turney, H. (2013). Identifying Unmet Needs: Recommendations for Creating a Model Kinship Subsidy Program. Journal of Family Social Work, 16.
  8. Moak, S. C., Thomas, J., Thomas, S., Walker, J.T., & Zawisza, T. (2012). Entering the Rabbit Warren: The Trials, Tribulations (and Some Successes) of Integrating Juvenile Justice Data. ACJS Today, XXXVII, 1. Issue 1.
  9. Lemieux, C., Barthelemy, J., Schroeder, J. & Thomas, J. (2012). Therapeutic communities for youths in secure care: participant characteristics and predictors of treatment and post-release supervision. Journal of Social Service Research, 38.
  10. Thomas, J., Lemieux, C., Rhodes, J.L.F., Ashbaugh-Vlosky, D. (2011). Early Truancy Intervention: Results of an Evaluation Using a Regression Discontinuity Design. Children and Youth Services Review, 33.
  11. Rhodes, J.L.F., Thomas, J., Lemieux, C., Cain, D., & Guin, C. (2010). Truancy Assessment and Service Centers (TASC): Engaging elementary school children and their families. School Social Work Journal, 35.