EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF DISCIPLINE PRACTICES ON SUSPENSION RATES OF BLACK STUDENTS: AN EQUITABLE AND RESTORATIVE JOURNEY IN A GRADES 3-5 INNER-CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Abstract

Regardless of the school community or type of school in the United States, Black students are disproportionately excluded from school at a higher rate than any other student group. These discipline practices are a matter of race that negatively impact educational outcomes for Black students and have a direct correlation with their involvement in the criminal justice system. It is essential to focus on alternative exclusionary discipline practices, such as relationship building between adults and students. The purpose of this mixed method action research study was to analyze the implementation of Restorative Practices as an alternative to exclusionary discipline and determine its impact on staff's and students' perceptions of school discipline and student disciplinary outcomes. This study was grounded in the theoretical frameworks of Critical Race Theory (CRT) introduced by a collection of activists and scholars who challenged the legal system as it related to race in the 1960s and slowly worked its way into the field of education to understand the impact of race on educational outcomes for Black students. Conducted in a low-performing Grades 3-5 elementary school with a predominantly Black staff, the study looked at the impact of the implementation of Restorative Practices on teachers' and students' discipline perceptions and school discipline outcomes. Findings from this study indicate that when staff intentionally build positive relationships with students and create a sense of community and belonging, incidents of students' misbehavior decrease. Restorative Practices is a strategy that can be effective when used to build relationships between staff and students and students and students. However, this study provides recommendations to assist administrators and teachers in establishing school environments and cultures that are safe spaces for staff and students, which uses equitable discipline practices to decrease the discipline disparities for Black students.