Recursive Disparities: An Examination of Racial Discipline Gaps Under Restorative Justice Practices

• In Event: 2238 - Education Policy & Inequality in K-12 Schools

Abstract

Scholars have long-studied racial disproportionality in student achievement and discipline, often finding that Black students achieve less and are disciplined more than their White peers. These well-documented racial disparities in school discipline have led many school districts in the U.S. to adopt a variety of reforms, and among the most popular are restorative justice practices. The restorative justice philosophy differs from traditional disciplinary action by placing an emphasis on restitution and improving behavior rather than punishment. While models of restorative justice are descriptively and theoretically promising, research on restorative practices in schools suggests that program benefits are not equally shared across racial groups. Further, as an increasing amount of schools that serve Black students adopt restorative justice, it is unclear how implementors use discretion and colorblind ideologies to determine which students receive access to these resources. Drawing on administrative data from a large urban school district, this study uses a synthetic control method to examine school disciplinary outcomes under restorative practices. Preliminary findings suggest that Black student disciplinary outcomes were unchanged after program implementation, resulting in widening racial discipline gaps.

Author

• Miles Davison