Education is the cornerstone of American society. However, American society has a long history of providing unequal access to education resources, often to the detriment of Black children. Black children are often perceived as threatening, even when only 4 years old. Relative to their White peers, Black children receive a disproportionately high number of office referrals, suspensions, and expulsions. Black children also do not perform at the same academic level as their White peers. There is a direct correlation between time away from class and low achievement. The articles in this dissertation address the importance and relevance of restorative practices as an alternative to punitive practices in the school setting. Chapter Two discusses the importance of teacher effectiveness for closing the achievement gap for Black students. Chapter Three seeks to understand teachers' perceptions of the use of restorative practices. Chapter Four relates to the belief of teachers in restorative practices, how that belief effects Black students, and best practices for successful restorative practice programs. Chapters Two to Four together relate to children of the African diaspora without reference to a specific country of origin, hence the term "Black" appears throughout instead of "African American." [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]