The challenge for schools and districts across the country has been tackling issues of equity and inclusion that lead to closing opportunity gaps for students. With this in mind, districts have employed schools to find alternative approaches to discipline. One option districts and school sites have is the use of restorative practices as both…

Leadership, teachers, and parents have observed significantly disproportionate discipline of African American students at urban elementary schools located in Ohio, despite the implementation of positive behavior intervention supports (PBIS). This basic qualitative study explored teacher perceptions of the overrepresentation of disciplinary actions…

This dissertation closely examines the model of a suburban northern Delaware alternative program. The researcher determined how well this program successfully prepared 52 scholars to successfully transition forward into a comprehensive school. Each student in the study was removed from the comprehensive school and enrolled into the alternative…

Educators are tasked with ensuring that all students are provided with a quality education, regardless of their cultural backgrounds. This study explores the impact of culturally responsive teaching on the disciplinary rates of African American students in K-12 education. With a focus on qualitative methods, the research examines how culturally…

"Statement of the Problem": Almost half of children in the United States have been exposed to childhood trauma (McIntosh, 2019). Discipline practices in many schools are often ineffective with and inappropriate for students who have experienced trauma. For example, students who are disciplined in traditional ways often continue to…

Detentions and suspensions disproportionately affect children from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds, specifically Black children and children of lower socioeconomic status. These disparities in school discipline are addressed in a cognitive flexibility approach to professional learning through a privately funded district improvement…

The PBIS Framework has demonstrated effectiveness in supporting schools in improving various prosocial outcomes including improved social, emotional, and behavioral skills; increased academic outcomes and attendance; decreased exclusionary discipline (e.g., office referrals, suspensions); and reduced reports of bullying and substance abuse. In…

Throughout public schools in the United States, minority students continue to receive more disciplinary consequences compared to other groups of students. The problem addressed in this study was the persistence of discipline disproportionality between minority students and White students at a public U.S. middle school, even with recent efforts…

PK-12 leaders use gender- and sexuality-inclusivity professional development (IPD) as a tool to improve the school climate for LGBTQ+ students, but IPD programs vary widely in their scope, breadth, duration, instructional approach, and content. In this paper, we present the IPD conceptual framework, which proposes a sustained, intensive, and…

PK-12 leaders use gender- and sexuality-inclusivity professional development (IPD) as a tool to improve the school climate for LGBTQ+ students, but IPD programs vary widely in their scope, breadth, duration, instructional approach, and content. In this paper, we present the IPD conceptual framework, which proposes a sustained, intensive, and…

About 1 in 20 K-12 students are suspended from school each year. Students from marginalized groups -- including Black and Latinx students and students with individualized education plans (IEPs) -- experience suspension much more frequently than their peers. Empathic Instruction reduces the racial gaps in suspensions, but it does not close them…

As awareness has grown about the harmful effects of exclusionary discipline, especially on the Black and Brown students who are disproportionately suspended and expelled, so, too, has interest in alternative approaches to discipline. Restorative practices focus on building or repairing relationships to address or preempt conflict. They are based…

To better understand the supports needed to positively impact student outcomes, the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) has been examining several model demonstrations of PBIS implementation in schools residing within high need Local Education Agencies (LEAs). In particular, this brief provides an initial examination on…

The RUMERTIME Process (RP) is a five-step culturally responsive social-emotional, problem-solving, prevention-intervention strategy used to educate, equip, and empower students, educators, and families. The RP equips individuals with the abilities to recognize, understand, manage, express, and reflect on their thoughts, interactions, mindsets, and…

This exploratory study employed mixed-methods to investigate outcomes associated with an online self-determination theory (SDT) based teacher professional development (PD) intervention, and explored teachers' perspectives about re-engaging students following COVID-19. Participants were 33 secondary school teachers from across England and Wales.…