From Referrals to Restoration: Centering Student Voice in Rethinking School Discipline

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 2:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Abolitionist Pedagogies for Transforming Education and Society

Abstract

This poster will present findings from a qualitative study exploring how Black secondary school boys experience exclusionary school discipline and envision more just alternatives. Grounded in Critical Race Theory and using phenomenological methods, the research centers student voices to examine how disciplinary practices shape identity, belonging, and academic engagement. In a preliminary interview conducted as a part of a qualitative methods course, one participant described feelings of disposability, adult bias, and disempowerment, while also offering insight into what restorative justice could look like in schools. The poster will highlight anticipated themes forthcoming interviews, supported by quotes and visuals, and conclude with policy recommendations for equity-focused, healing-centered practices. By elevating youth voice, this work reimagines school discipline through a critical, justice-oriented lens.

Author

• Tamara Jones, Duval County Public Schools