Fostering community, sharing power: Lessons for building restorative justice school cultures

Abstract

Increasingly, education policymakers are touting restorative justice as a way to interrupt the “school-to-prison pipeline,” which disproportionately impacts students by race, sexuality, and disability. A small but growing research literature suggests that restorative justice decreases suspension and behavioral incidents, while improving school climate—particularly when embraced as a schoolwide ethos, rather than a targeted disciplinary strategy. Restorative justice represents a marked departure from long-standing punitive approaches to discipline, however, and school communities are eager for support in navigating this culture shift. To this end, this article presents findings from case studies of five diverse NYC schools using restorative justice approaches. Drawing on qualitative data from interviews and focus groups with educators, students, parents, and school safety agents, our findings provide insight into key practices and resources, stakeholder perceptions, and challenges of and practical strategies for building holistic, schoolwide restorative justice. We present a series of “lessons” to inform restorative justice practice and policy, underscoring the importance of community-building, deliberate resources and infrastructure, interrogating localized and systemic power dynamics, and elevating student leadership.

Use of Restorative Justice and Restorative Practices at School: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Thirty-four studies conducted in seven countries (USA, 23; UK, 4; Australia, 2; Canada, 2; Croatia, 1; Japan, 1; Scotland, 1) were included in this systematic review. Of these, six studies are randomized controlled trials (RCT) [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]; one study is a follow-up survey [ 29 ]; one study is a correlational study [ 30 ]; one study is an interrupted time series (ITS) analysis [ 31 ]; two studies are nonexperimental design studies [ 32 , 33 ]; one study is quasi-experimental pre–post design study [ 34 ]; 17 studies are qualitative studies (in these, we considered single-case studies) [ 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ]; one study is both literature review and a qualitative research study [ 52 ]; two studies are qualitative and quantitative studies [ 53 , 54 ]; two studies are quantitative studies [ 55 , 56 ].…”

“…Twenty-six studies [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 54 ] within the projects for the implementation of restorative justice and restorative practices at school provided for the activation of training courses in restorative justice and the use of its practices. The training of teachers, school staff, and students has made it possible to sensitize the entire school to the restorative approach; supporting openness to change in school policy and facilitating the application of the restorative approach to the whole school; transferring knowledge and skills; making students and teachers autonomous in the activation and management of restorative practices; develop skills to manage and deal with conflicts independently; enable students to become active members of school life and decision-making processes on issues that concern them.…”

“…The training of teachers, school staff, and students has made it possible to sensitize the entire school to the restorative approach; supporting openness to change in school policy and facilitating the application of the restorative approach to the whole school; transferring knowledge and skills; making students and teachers autonomous in the activation and management of restorative practices; develop skills to manage and deal with conflicts independently; enable students to become active members of school life and decision-making processes on issues that concern them. Of these 26 studies, 20 studies [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 41 , 44 , 45 , 48 , 51 , 52 , 54 ] envisaged the involvement of external experts both to support students and/or teachers in the management of the practices and because they were called to be their facilitators. In eight studies [ 23 , 29 , 40 , 46 , 47 , 53 , 55 , 56 ], the RP were provided directly by the researchers as experts in restorative practices.…”

“…In schools where the restorative approach (and practices) is adopted, less misconduct by students, reduction in injuries, disciplinary postponements, and school crimes are evident, with more positive behaviours and decreases in suspension rates and disciplinary sanctions. This leads to a reduction in the need for punitive measures [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 30 , 31 , 34 , 36 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 54 , 55 ]. For example, the study by Payne et al [ 55 ] pointed out that the use of severe punishment increases the likelihood of choosing punitive/zero-tolerance policies to manage and respond to student behaviour problems; the use of milder punishments increases the likelihood of resorting to restorative practices; the use of harsh punishments is unrelated to the level of crime and delinquency.…”

Challenging the Myth of Color Blindness in Restorative Justice Programs

“…As a guiding framework, RJ is observed as having transformative possibilities for both mainstream and marginalized communities and a tool by which marginalized communities can be empowered (Albrecht 2010;Delgado 2000;Dzur and Olson 2004;Gavrielides 2014;Lyubansky and Shpungin 2015;Williams 2013). A growing body of research has provided evidence of the transformative nature of RJ across racial and cultural lines once attention is paid to the unique needs of racialized and immigrant populations in the justice system (Albrecht 2010;Delgado 2000;Gavrielides 2014;Williams 2013;Young 2019) and the education system (Payne and Welch 2015;Sandwick, Hahn, and Ayoub 2019;Winn 2018). In addition, research suggests that when attention is paid to the worldview of those engaged in the RJ process, there is a higher likelihood for transformation to take place (Bailey 2020;Little, Stewart, and Ryan 2018).…”