Exploring Leaders' and Teachers' Understandings of Restorative Instruction

• In Event: Principal Leadership for Student Growth

Abstract

This paper draws together existing literature with empirical data to explore the undertheorized question of what it means to teach in ways which align with the restorative justice (RJ) framework. Drawing on 30 semi-structured interviews conducted with 20 leaders and teachers at an urban charter school, the author finds that the tools associated with the use of RJ in schools do not necessarily support educators in identifying the rich connections between RJ and instructional traditions such as critical pedagogy. In turn, this suggests that new tools and PD experiences must be developed in order to support educators in dismissing the wrongful notion that RJ is a discrete intervention limited to behavior management. Topic descriptors: restorative justice, instructional leadership, school change.

Author

• Sarah Melanie Fine, University of California, San Diego