ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1166-8295

Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Administrative and Instructional Leadership

First Advisor

Joan I Birringer-Haig

Second Advisor

Stephen Kotok

Third Advisor

Katherine C Aquino

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental study was to explore the association between school success after the tier-one introduction of a three-tiered restorative practices program. To understand school success, student factors were examined using middle school data from a suburban school district located outside of a large metropolitan city in the northeastern part of the United States. These factors included achievement (Final GPA), attendance (Absences), and suspensions (In-school and Out-of-school) across racial groups. Separate multiple regressions were conducted for each school success factor on racial group for the 2021-2022 and the 2022-2023 school years. By this time, all district staff had been trained in tier-one Community Circles and all students had returned to school for in-person learning after the social isolation period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results showed that the significant associations found between school success factors and racial groups in year one remained significant in year two. However, improvements were observed for every racial group in the areas of achievement (Final GPA scores) and Out-of-school suspensions; with the greatest improvements occurring for Black students. The results indicate that deep paradigm shifts away from inequity, implicit bias, and exclusion take time to cultivate but that school success factors can be improved for all students when restorative values are present in the school environment. These findings demonstrate that the presence of restorative practices in schools can help educators and school leaders advance equity and improve school experiences for all students, as they traverse the post-pandemic realities in their school communities.

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