The purpose of this study was to design and implement a Restorative Practice approach to discipline. The challenges of building a positive teacher-student relationship while navigating the demands of zero-tolerance policies have been well documented. Teachers need support and structure to develop and maintain positive teacher-student…

This study sought to understand how state-level policies inform and promote the implementation of restorative justice in education (RJE). A content analysis of 60 laws revealed that definitions, structures, and supports varied greatly, causing us to question whether policies support a systematic implementation of RJE and how policies can prevent…

This study examines the impact of statewide Restorative Justice (RJ) policy reforms in Michigan and Texas on student disciplinary outcomes and behavior, in light of increasing concerns over the negative effects of zero-tolerance policies. As schools move away from exclusionary discipline practices, this research focuses on three primary questions:…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "School Safety." Contents include: (1) Students Demand Safe, Supportive Schools:…

The criminalization of school discipline and its resulting consequences for students, particularly students of color, has been widely studied. While results from previous research have shown racial and gender differences in punitive school experiences like suspension, school-based arrest, and school-based referrals to juvenile justice systems,…

The present study assessed teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness and equitability of, and policy alternatives to, zero tolerance policies, as well as how teachers perceived the consideration of higher levels of governance to implement their recommendations regarding policy alternatives. This study used a research design of a case study, which…

The problem addressed in this study is that zero-tolerance policies impact African-American female students through suspension, expulsions, and law enforcement referrals more than their White counterparts. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative ex post facto study was to determine if a significant difference exists in the exclusionary…

Schools should be spaces where students feel safe and welcome, actively engage with learning, and strive for success. Discipline policies and practices should reinforce these values, particularly safety and belonging. Unfortunately, ineffective discipline practices that punish students harshly and take them away from the classroom -- like…

The 2021 LDOE report emphasized out-of-school suspensions and expulsions as a key concern in student well-being. It revealed that Louisiana students missed 30,259 days of instruction due to suspensions, equivalent to 180,000 hours or 168 school years of lost learning. The report provided a list of 41 offenses, with instigating/participating in…

Discipline referrals and suspensions are used as a last resort to address inappropriate student behavior in schools. The problem investigated in this study was the inconsistent trend in the number of discipline referrals and suspensions during implementation of three different discipline policies (zero tolerance, progressive discipline, and…

Zero tolerance policies were designed to create safety by implementing automatic exclusion (e.g., suspensions, expulsions) for misbehavior in response to rising school violence in the United States. However, evidence over the past four decades shows that these policies fail to increase objective and subjective safety, and instead foster poor…

There is growing concern about zero tolerance disciplinary practices in schools throughout the US. High suspension rates, specifically amongst African American and Latinx students are strongly correlated with negative student outcomes, and for some students may create an entry point into the school-to-prison pipeline. Furthermore, discipline data…

This study investigates the impact of statewide Restorative Justice (RJ) reforms on school suspensions and bullying outcomes in Michigan and Texas, amidst a broader movement away from zero-tolerance policies. Since the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994, zero-tolerance approaches have led to increased suspensions, particularly affecting marginalized…

In 2013 and 2015 Oregon enacted legislation that shifted school discipline policies from a zero-tolerance approach to one that emphasizes preventing behavioral problems and reducing unnecessary suspensions and expulsions. Suspensions and expulsions are often referred to as exclusionary discipline because they remove students from classroom…

In the 1990s and early 2000s, schools across the United States employed exclusionary discipline at increasing rates as a response to student infractions. Researchers studying school discipline reported on these increases and highlighted the fact that exclusionary discipline for students was associated with myriad other negative outcomes, including…