Promising pathways from school restorative practices to educational equity

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research in school discipline suggests that punitive and exclusionary sanctions have adverse effects on students and are disproportionately administered to students of color and low-income students. School-based restorative justice practices have recently gained attention as an alternative disciplinary approach that emphasizes the reparation of harm and reconciliation among students involved in conflict. These non-exclusionary practices have been increasingly considered as strategies to alleviate racial/ethnic disparities in discipline and academic achievement, particularly between Black and Latinx students and their White counterparts. In the current paper, we emphasize the unique potential of RP to achieve educational equity and discuss specific pathways by which RP implementation may lead to more equitable student outcomes, highlighting the importance of reduced reliance on exclusion, improved teacher–student relationships, and improved shame management.