School violence is a problem that affects students, families, teachers, staff, and administration (Crews, 2019). Restorative justice is a proactive, alternative method to penal discipline (Payne & Welch, 2018). My study sought to understand the perceptions of administrators, teachers, and students with a restorative justice program at Happy…

Restorative justice has the potential to re-frame schools as caring and politically conscious educational spaces. As it moves to the mainstream, however, it risks being co-opted by the carceral logics that undergird the schooling of Black students in the United States. This ethnographic analysis interrogates how restorative justice provides…

Many schools use exclusionary discipline--such as suspensions and expulsions--to deter students from misbehaving and to protect students from the harms associated with exposure to student misbehavior. Research indicates that, while often implemented with good intentions, exclusionary discipline increases (rather than deters) misbehavior and risks…

Drawing on data from a year-long multi-case ethnography of three secondary urban public schools implementing restorative practices, the current piece examines how principals negotiate restorative practices despite conflicting pressures to maintain order and compel obedience. I frame my inquiry through Sergiovanni's (2000) concept of…

Schools across the United States exercise an exclusionary practice that involves the removal of a student from the academic setting, as a consequence for minor to severe infractions to the code of conduct. Research on exclusionary practices has shown that students who are frequently suspended are more susceptible to developing negative perceptions…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to examine how high school instructional educators (teachers, curriculum development leaders), support staff members (guidance counselors, coaches, social workers, deans), and two principals employed within a U.S. northeastern urban city charter high school network described how an effective…

Studies have documented the ubiquitous racial disparities in school discipline. However, knowledge of the unique and complex disciplinary experiences of Black girls, shared from their own voices, remains under-researched. To better understand the school policing and 'pushout' phenomenon for Black girls, this qualitative study examines data which…

Restorative justice (RJ) practices have expanded significantly with the aim of improving school safety. Despite RJ's potential for transformative change, the factors driving these changes have rarely been the focus of rigorous scientific investigation. This qualitative study applies a system change framework to examine how organizational system…

Restorative justice pedagogies, such as dialogue or peacemaking circles, allow students to learn how to share and listen with peers, set boundaries for moral dialogue, and engage constructively with each other's perspectives. This study is part of a larger project focused on teachers' professional development and circle implementation. The focus…

Restorative justice is a non-punitive form of discipline and is applied in educational settings to address discipline disparities. This qualitative descriptive single case study explored how high school teachers describe restorative justice practices as an influence on the behavior of Hispanic students in an urban high school in Iowa. Data were…

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine, understand, and describe the elements of restorative justice programs (relationships, community building, accountability, empathy) that high school principals and teachers in public school districts located in San Bernardino County, California perceive as most beneficial for changing…

When youth are placed in detention facilities, their education, ties to society, and lives are disrupted. Yet any involvement with the justice system -- regardless of incarceration -- can have implications for one's future earning potential and career trajectory, limiting access to educational opportunities, career fields, and available supports.…

In the United States, involvement with the juvenile justice system can have a long-lasting negative impact on one's life. Young people who are placed in detention facilities are removed from their homes, their families, and their communities. Their education, their ties to society, and their lives are disrupted. Involvement with the justice system…

In many cases, political circumstances do not allow formal for transitional justice processes to occur in countries undergoing a transition from a violent past. In this paper, we ask if education can become a default front line of transitional justice work in the absence of explicit action by the state to address past injustices. Drawing from…

Despite growing attention to the importance of grit and other character traits for achievement, developing them in students rarely finds its way into secondary school curricula. Authors Barbara Cervone and Kathleen Cushman investigate the exceptions, telling the stories of five high schools with a national reputation for infusing rigorous…