Date of Award

Summer 2024

Degree Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Education, PhD

Program

School of Educational Studies

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Emilie Reagan

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Frances Gipson

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Thomas Luschei

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Bruce Matsui

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2024 Hector Macias

Keywords

Education, Middle School, Restorative Justice, Restorative Justice Ideology

Subject Categories

Educational Leadership

Abstract

As restorative justice practices (RJP) in educational environments remain relatively novel, there has been limited research on its long-term effectiveness. In districts that allocated substantial resources to RJP, reports from personnel suggest a direct correlation between RJP implementation and a decrease in suspensions, diminished truancy rates, and an overall improvement in school climates. Nevertheless, further investigation is essential, particularly at the middle school level, to explore the link between RJP and institutionalized, non-punitive, relationship-centered approaches. This research extended the knowledge base of disciplinary practices, delving into the educators’ perceptions of RJP on fostering a school-wide restorative ideology.

Employing a convergent mixed-methods design, this study first analyzed suspension data for Black and Latino middle school students in one large urban district in California over six years pre- and post-district wide adoption of RJP. Additionally, this study examined 69 middle school administrators’, teachers’, and support providers’—collectively referred to as educators’—restorative justice ideology concerning healing, cooperation, restoration, and overall perspective, as measured by Roland’s et al. (2012) Restorative Justice Ideology Questionnaire (RJIQ). The qualitative portions of this study included four open-ended short-answer survey questions and individual interviews with 12 middle school educators. These interviews were instrumental in delving deeper into educator comprehension and transition from traditional disciplinary approaches to methods centered on building, nurturing, and repairing relationships. They provided insights to clarify any perplexing, contradictory, or unusual survey responses, establishing a meaningful connection between the quantitative findings and qualitative data collection.

The findings from this study revealed a reduction of suspensions for Black and Latino middle school boys prior to and following RJP adoption. Additionally, while not universal, on average, middle school educators’ RJ ideologies tended to endorse RJP, as measured by the RJIQ. Noteworthy themes emerging from the interview data encompassed the impact of RJP in seeking to understand perspectives; building authentic relationships; fostering cultural sensitivity, equity, and inclusion; and advocating through educator adaptation.

Middle school educators also identified barriers preventing them and the school from immersing in RJP and transforming the school culture, which included a lack of commitment in resources identified by time, energy, and funding by local and state leaders and a resistance by colleagues to support RJP. Researchers and practitioner advocates recommend corrective measures/discipline requires professional development designed to prevent misconduct and build school employee’s capacity to foster relationships that help students, families, and school personnel behave in ways that contribute to academic and behavioral success.

ISBN

9798384077251

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