Abstract
Schotland, MacLean, Junker, and Phinney examine northern California’s Davidson Middle School’s efforts to shift discipline practices from punitive to restorative in order to reduce disparities and create a more positive school culture. The school utilized a multi-faceted strategy of de-tracking academic coursework, improving parent involvement, and employing three discipline programs: Restorative Circles, No Bully Solution, and Peer Courts. The authors analyze program success and integration via survey, interview, and observational data. Administrative data is used to assess suspension rate trends. Findings indicate that Davidson successfully integrated the programs and reduced both the number of suspensions in the school and the disparities in discipline for Latino students. The effort provides a model of restorative practices that can guide other communities seeking to reform their disciplinary approach.
The authors would like to thank Anne Gregory and Emily Ozer for their guidance and support, and Jenny Michaelson, Hannah da Cruz, Lia Poitras and Jackson Masters for their tireless efforts with data collection.
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Schotland, M., MacLean, H., Junker, K., Phinney, J. (2016). From Punitive to Restorative: One School’s Journey to Transform Its Culture and Discipline Practices to Reduce Disparities. In: Skiba, R., Mediratta, K., Rausch, M. (eds) Inequality in School Discipline. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51257-4_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51257-4_13
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