Confronting the traditional system: a qualitative study on the challenges to school based restorative practices policy implementation

ABSTRACT

With the abundance of research that has come to fruition in recent years about the school to prison pipeline and rampant disproportionality of exclusionary discipline, the United States is starting to see a shift to a school-based restorative practices approach. Because of the nascent nature of this framework, research is far behind practice in schools, and knowledge about barriers to implementation is limited. This qualitative research study used purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews to review the experiences of 12 education professionals in San Diego County involved with restorative practice implementation. Participants believe an absence of administrative buy-in and a lack of resources prevent restorative practices from being executed with efficacy. Participants also stated that the resistance to change and the drastic change in culture, as well as societal factors, challenged restorative practices implementation. Findings suggest that restorative practices should be prioritized with intentionality by all levels of the public education system for more effective implementation in schools and more equitable outcomes for students.

KEYWORDS:

• Restorative practices
• policy implementation
• racial disproportionality
• school-based challenges
• qualitative inquiry
• school to prison pipeline

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brett A. Hall

Brett A. Hall, MSW is a graduate from the School of Social Work at San Diego State University, with a concentration in Administration and Community Development and an Advanced Certificate in Social Work Administration. She is also a co-founder of the community organizing group Social Workers for Equity and Leadership.

A.J. Keeney

Annie J. Keeney, PhD, MSW  is a lecturer and the Program Assessment Coordinator with the School of Social Work at San Diego State University.

D.W. Engstrom

David W. Engstrom, PhD, MSW is a professor with the School of Social Work at San Diego State University.

P. Brazzel

Paul Brazzel, LCSW, PPSC  is a lecturer, field Faculty, and PPS Coordinator with the School of Social Work at San Diego State University.