Race, discipline, and critial restorative justice in two urban high schools

Description

Since 1973, the number of students suspended annually has more than doubled to 3.3 million students (Dignity in Schools, 2009). In the midst of public scrutiny of zero tolerance policies which disproportionately push youth of color out of schools (Advancement Project/Civil Rights Project 2000; Ferguson, 2001; Losen & Edley, Jr., 2001), many school districts are adopting an alternative model of discipline called restorative justice. While the literature on this philosophy calls for a paradigm shift away from punitive disciplinary practices (Karp and Breslin, 2001; Morrison, Blood, & Thorsborne, 2006; Varnham, 2005), many studies do not examine what the practice looks like in schools that are transitioning to restorative justice. The few studies that examine schools in transition center on suburban schools (Hamilton, 2008) or predominately White schools (Ashworth, 2008). This thesis fills some of these gaps by examining what restorative justice looks like at two urban high schools with a majority of students of color. Through the methodology of social science portraiture (Lawrence-Lightfoot, 1983), this study employs interviews and weekly observations to understand how educators at these schools are shifting the culture around discipline to suspend fewer students. The narratives in these pages - of Janet Connors, who decided to practice restorative justice in schools after her teenage son was murdered, and of Bridge and Equity, two high schools where educators are acutely aware of how restorative justice can disrupt pathways between schools and prisons - matter to the broader discourse around the dropout crisis, school discipline policies, and alternatives to zero tolerance. These portraits reveal how the urban education context, so often marked by high administrator and teacher turnover, cyclical reform efforts, and a general state of flux as schools that underperform are shut down, disrupted the longevity and impact of restorative practices. Nonetheless, the study also reveals that practicing a critical restorative justice in urban schools can allow for increased student engagement, reflection, and opportunities for improved behaviors - the very outcomes desired by teachers at Equity and Bridge attempting to inspire students to excel in school, and create a more equitable world once they leave.

Subjects

Other Editions

• Race, discipline, and critial restorative justice in two urban high schools2013-01-01
• Race, discipline, and critial restorative justice in two urban high schools2013