An Examination of Restorative Interventions and Racial Equity in Out-of-School Suspensions

Author note. The authors thank the school staff and students in Denver Public Schools that made this study possible, including technical assistance provided by the Division of Accountability, Research and Evaluation.

Abstract

Districts have been engaged in efforts to reduce “differential processing” of discipline-referred students based on their racial backgrounds. They strive for fair assignment of exclusionary consequences across racial groups. The current study examines discipline records for one academic year in an urban school district (N = 9,039 discipline-referred students) to identify the factors associated with equitable assignment of out-of-school suspension (OSS). Multilevel logistic regression found that student participation in restorative interventions substantially reduced the odds that individual students received OSS. However, such participation was only marginally associated with more comparable assignment of OSS to Black students relative to their White peers. Together these findings suggest that alternatives to suspension, such as restorative interventions, may yield benefits for all student groups, but they may result in only marginal narrowing of the disparities in suspension rates between Black and White students. This indicates that greater attention is needed to address the inequitable school contexts in which disparities arise.

Keywords:

• Hierarchical Linear Modeling
• School Discipline
• Social Justice
• Violence
• School and Community
• Intervention
• Behavior

Notes

1 Student may receive a mix of sanctions for different incidents over the school year, so percentages will not add up to 100%.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anne Gregory

Anne Gregory is currently an associate professor at Rutgers University in the school psychology department. Her work addresses the persistent trend of Black adolescents being issued school suspensions and expulsions at higher rates than adolescents from other racial–ethnic groups. Through research and intervention, she aims to address this trend by strengthening the characteristics of teachers, classrooms, and schools associated with the successful schooling of Black students.

Francis L. Huang

Francis L. Huang is an assistant professor in the Statistics, Measurement, and Evaluation in Education Program in the Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology at the University of Missouri. He is an applied quantitative methodologist with current substantive interests in school climate, the disproportional use of exclusionary disciplinary sanctions, and various policy-relevant topics. His methodological focus has been on the analysis of clustered data and the development of empirically supported scales and measures.

Yolanda Anyon

Yolanda Anyon, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver. She is the principal investigator of the DU-DPS research–practice partnership on school discipline. Her research focuses on the role of schools and community-based organizations in shaping developmental outcomes for youth of color.

Eldridge Greer

Eldridge Greer, PhD, is the associate chief of the Division of Student Equity and Opportunity at DPS, where his focus is removing structural barriers that negatively impact educational opportunity. Dr. Greer has been nationally recognized for his work in Denver for discipline reform efforts, with a particular focus on eliminating the racial disparities in discipline. His current work is focused on leading DPS in creating Whole Child supports. He is the proud parent of current and former DPS students.

Barbara Downing

Barbara J. Downing, PhD, is a school psychologist in the Division of Student Equity and Opportunity at Denver Public Schools. Supporting the social–emotional learning of all students is the focus of Dr. Downing's work in DPS. She is responsible for the coordination of student discipline policy and practice in DPS. Dr. Downing is also the developer and manager of the Deployment Platform and process for the DPS Whole Child Supports Team.