Implementing Restorative Justice as a Step toward Racial Equity in School Discipline

Abstract

The purpose of this multimedia research is to provide a blueprint for change that is centered on an alternative disciplinary approach referred to as restorative justice or restorative practices. First, we provide a short overview of the problem of racially based discipline practices in American schools. Then, we share the philosophical underpinnings of restorative justice, describe key components essential to its implementation, and provide links to videos that illustrate the successful implementation of restorative practices in authentic school settings. Thereafter, we offer what we believe is vital for institutional change: understanding the role Whiteness plays in disparate treatment and engaging in anti-racist school leadership. In the final section of the paper, we share specific strategies educators can use to navigate the change processes necessary to work toward racial equity in school discipline.

Culturally responsive leadership: a critical analysis of one school district’s five-year plan

“…The theory of action behind culturally responsive leadership is multifaceted but holds promise to address many societal issues that intersect with students' experiences in school. For example, systemic racism continues to manifest in schools in the form of over-disproportionality of Black students in school discipline (Mansfield et al, 2018) and underproportionality of Black students in gifted and other advanced programming (Mansfield, 2015b). Khalifa (2018) argued that cultural responsiveness is necessary to address these and other inequities and for overall effective school leadership.…”

“…And as the student voice advocates say, school leaders should invite the people who literally have a stake in what happens in schools to the proverbial decision-making table (Lac and Mansfield, 2018). There are a number of ways students can practice citizenship behaviors; for example, students at all ages can determine class commitments (formerly known as "rules") at the beginning of the year as well as lead meetings throughout the year, which works especially well for implementing programs such as restorative discipline practices (Mansfield et al, 2018). These activities harken back to the work of John Dewey who posited that including students in school governance carries over into citizenship behaviors as adults (Mitra and Serriere, 2015), an important reason student voice scholars critique many neoliberal reforms such as scripted curricula, standardized testing, and zero-tolerance discipline policies (Bourke and Loveridge, 2018) (see Supplementary Table S2).…”

A Systematic Literature Review of Educational Leadership and U.S. School Shootings: Establishing a Research Agenda

“…They might be able to use precious school funds instead to invest in mental health resources, or in community engagement, or other inter-disciplinary work. They might engage with their communities to try more innovative disciplinary approaches, such as restorative justice practices instead of exclusionary discipline practices (Cumings Mansfield et al, 2018;Winn, 2018). As current or future practitioners, they might also begin to engage with research and anti-violence initiatives, bringing their valuable perspective as school leaders and bridging the theory-practice divide.…”

Racelighting in Utah education: counterstories across contexts

“…Reparative efforts might include developing greater support for campus Community Members of Color who have experienced racelighting, providing them with non-punitive space and support to process those experiences. One school district in the mountain west with similar demographics documented a seven-year process of instituting a framework of restorative justice, including community and faculty input and was a dialogical process (Mansfield et al ., 2018). Institutional changes like these would enable individuals in various campus and social positions to address white supremacy without being punished or put in vulnerable positions in order to do so, which is particularly important in social settings like the one in Utah.…”