Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
6-2022
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
D. John McIntyre
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Garry Bailey
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
William Frick
Abstract
Restorative practices in schools (RPS) is an Integrated Student Support process that many U.S. K-12 schools utilize to combat student behavior and racial disparities against students. Initial research suggests that RPS is a successful tool to drop suspension rates, create safe school environments, and help students stay engaged in school. However, there is not sufficient empirical evidence to support a successful implementation model, leading to mixed results and opinions about the effectiveness of RPS. The purpose of this study was to explore the program processes of RPS and determine effective implementation strategies that lead to successful student outcomes. Data were collected using semistructured interview responses and responses from a Restorative Practices Questionnaire from Texas K-12 public school educators. Key results indicated that educators find building relationships with students alleviates negative student behaviors. Another key result is that RPS strategies significantly impact addressing negative student behavior. The study also found that educators that use RPS daily or weekly find the most significant outcomes, especially when the practice is student-centered and leadership supported. It is conclusive from this study that RPS implementation requires knowledge and interest beyond formal training, leading to results indicative of further research on educational training and hiring practices.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Vargas, Rachel Danielle, "Creating Safe Schools: An Exploratory Study of Educator Perspective on Student Behavior and Restorative Practices in Schools Implementation" (2022). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 487.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/487
Included in
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons