Restorative Approaches to Discipline and Implicit Bias: Looking for Ways Forward
- PDF / 375,173 Bytes
- 9 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 13 Downloads / 250 Views
Restorative Approaches to Discipline and Implicit Bias: Looking for Ways Forward Lisa S. Romero 1
&
Vanessa Scahill 1 & Scarlette Renee Charles 1
Published online: 2 September 2020 # California Association of School Psychologists 2020
Abstract Less punitive alternatives to exclusionary discipline such as restorative justice are gaining in popularity in schools. These approaches take a more positive, relationship-based, problem-solving approach to discipline, focused on improving behavior by building community and belongingness, and eschewing exclusionary discipline for most infractions. However, if we fail to address implicit bias, we can expect the racial discipline gap to remain, regardless of the behavioral interventions put in place. We review a few promising studies that may help us to understand how to alleviate implicit bias in school decision-making. Keywords Implicit bias . Discipline . Discipline gap . Restorative justice . Restorative interventions . Disproportionality . Racial disparities . Intervention
It is now widely acknowledged that zero-tolerance discipline policies implemented in the 1990s, in response to concerns about school violence, student safety, and behavior and order in classrooms, were ineffective (Hoffman 2014; Skiba and Knesting 2001). Zero-tolerance discipline policies were predicated on the belief that swift, harsh, and unambiguous consequences for even small infractions would have a deterrent effect on future behavior. However, evidence from the last few decades does not support the idea that exclusionary discipline functions as a deterrent or makes schools safer. Rather, zero tolerance resulted in an unprecedented increase in the number of suspensions and expulsions and a concomitant worsening of racial disparities with which these punishments were meted out (Nance 2016; Rumberger and Losen 2016; Skiba et al. 2011). Increasingly, less punitive alternatives to exclusionary discipline such as restorative justice, Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), and other Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) are gaining in popularity in schools (Gregory et al. 2018; Welsh and Little 2018). These approaches take a more positive, relationship-based, problemsolving approach to discipline, focused on improving behavior by building community and belongingness, and eschewing * Lisa S. Romero [email protected] 1
California State University Sacramento, Eureka Hall 220, Sacramento, CA 95819, USA
exclusionary discipline for most infractions (Gregory et al. 2017; McCluskey et al. 2008). They are widely seen not only as a solution to the overuse of suspensions but also as a solution to racial disparities in discipline, or the discipline gap (González 2015; Gregory et al. 2016; Gregory et al. 2018). There has been a notable drop in the numbers of suspensions and expulsions, especially in schools and regions adopting these practices (Jones 2020). However, the discipline gap persists; Black students are still more likely to be identified as misbehaving, considered threats, and receive
Data Loading...
