In the majority of South African schools, maintaining discipline remains a challenge -- a situation which commands the attention of departmental officials both locally and internationally. When negative disciplinary approaches were prohibited in schools in this country, positive disciplinary measures were recommended in the form of a code of…

Introduction: Learner indiscipline has emerged as a global cause for concern for educators and parents in the 21st century. This study sought to develop a framework for the successful implementation of positive discipline. The study sought to provide answers revolving around the contributing factors towards learner indiscipline, the effects of…

The purpose of this study was to understand one type of restorative discipline, collaborative conversations, which uses a structured dialogue process between an adult and a student to address disciplinary incidents. This study presents existing literature on restorative discipline and the benefits of a one-on-one model like the one discussed in…

Prior to 2020, schools across the nation undertook school discipline reform. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Unknown is whether schools remained steadfast in their commitment to restorative practice (RP). The current case study examined student (n = 53-86) and staff surveys (n = 49-62) before and during the pandemic. It also examined the…

Teachers and administrators in an urban, suburban, and rural school district on the east coast of the United States faced challenges implementing effective discipline policy interventions to manage student misbehavior. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of educators about the challenges of implementing discipline…

The use of restorative practices to address college student behavior is a growing trend, but one about which few studies exist. While literature suggests how implementation of restorative practices can happen in the K-12 education setting, little is known about how student conduct practitioners should go about modifying their practices, policies,…

The primary goal of the present mixed methods review is to systematically examine the available evidence for the effectiveness of different types of school-based interventions for reducing disciplinary school exclusion. Quantitative evidence will help to understand the overall size of the impact, as well as the factors that better explain it.…

School districts historically approached conflict-resolution from a zero-sum perspective: suspend students seen as disruptive and potentially harm them, or avoid suspensions and harm their classmates. Restorative practices (RP) -- focused on reparation and shared ownership of disciplinary justice -- are designed to avoid this trade-off by…

The conventional school discipline system is invisible to most students and teachers until it gets activated (typically by a discipline referral), at which time, students and school staff alike know what to expect: Some kind of investigative process, which usually consists of questioning the involved parties and reviewing available video footage…

Schools are increasingly turning towards restorative practices as a pathway to building schools with stronger relationships, justice, and equity. While effectiveness studies are increasing, too little attention is focused on evaluating implementation. This resources is for audiences who evaluate implementation of whole school restorative practices…

We report findings from a recent field test assessing the feasibility of training teachers in implementing restorative practices within a multi-tiered approach to supporting student behavior. First, we provide an overview of our training content, training delivery, and follow-up coaching. Second, we present overall outcomes from our field test…

The initial critical event precipitating the problem of practice at my school was the repercussions of the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018. This shooting and the resulting legislative mandates of Florida Senate Bill 7026, led to my administrative decision to adopt Restorative Practices…

Zero-tolerance discipline in schools has resulted in disproportionate referrals, suspensions, and expulsions for Black students, students with disabilities, and low-income students of color. Restorative Justice (RJ) seeks to intervene in these patterns by emphasizing community interconnectedness and a discourse of harm, accountability, and repair.…

Restorative justice is an alternative disciplinary approach to the traditional, punitive approach to discipline. This case study focused on exploring the implementation of restorative justice discipline practices within a middle school. Participants included students, teachers, and an administrator. Five themes emerged from the data: (a) different…

This guide is designed to help school leaders and educators use restorative approaches to build relationships and address conflict. These practices help facilitate community building and address infractions, enabling students to take responsibility for their actions and repair harm when possible. This report is organized as follows:(1) Part 1:…