The Cart Before the Horse: The Challenge and Promise of Restorative Justice Consultation in Schools

ABSTRACT

Restorative justice (RJ) in schools is an increasingly popular approach to responding to discipline issues including bullying and aggressive behaviors. However, RJ research in schools is dramatically lagging behind its practice. Specifically, there is a large void within the school consultation literature that examines the use of RJ and the role of the consulting school psychologist. To help address this gap, this article reviews contextual and definitional issues of RJ, introduces the special issue articles within the RJ literature, and provides recommendations for future research, training, and practice in RJ. Notably, this is the first special issue that brings together RJ scholarship and research in schools under a consultation framework.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the collaboration of the Racial Disproportionality in Discipline Committee of the Race and Social Justice Community Roundtable, Seattle Office of Civil Rights; the Equity and Racial Advisory Committee to the Superintendent, Seattle Public Schools; the work of the Realistic Restorative Justice in Schools Research Team (Seattle University and University of Nevada, Las Vegas); and the collegial support of the National Network of Restorative School Researchers (NNRSR). To join the NNRSR, contact the first author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Samuel Y. Song

Samuel Y. Song, PhD is an associate professor of School Psychology within the Department of Educational Psychology and Higher Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He co-directs the National Network of Restorative School Researchers (NNRSR) and is coeditor/author of the books School Psychology and Social Justice: Conceptual Foundations and Tools for Practice (Routledge) and School Psychology in a Global Society: Roles and Functions (NASP, 2017). His current areas of research are the development of realistic interventions in schools in the areas of restorative justice and bullying.

Susan M. Swearer

Susan M. Swearer, PhD is the Willa Cather Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She co-directs the Bullying Research Network, is chair of the research advisory board for www.bornthisway.foundation, and is coauthor/coeditor of the books: Bullying Prevention and Intervention: Realistic Strategies for Schools, Handbook of Bullying in Schools, and Bullying in North American Schools. Dr. Swearer has authored over 100 chapters and articles on bullying, depression, and anxiety.

Note: The authors report that, to the best of their knowledge, neither they nor their affiliated institutions have financial or personal relationships or affiliations that could influence or bias the opinions, decisions, or work presented in this article.