Schools that increased restorative practice utilization saw declines in misbehavior, gang membership, victimization, depressive symptoms, and substance abuse, and improvements in GPA and climate¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2–r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2023 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? School-level increases in restorative practice use were associated with schoolwide declines in misbehavior, gang membership, victimization, depressive symptoms, and substance abuse. → Darling-Hammond 2023 q2 i? Schools that increased utilization saw improvements in average school GPA and school climate; schools that reduced utilization saw declines in these outcomes. → Darling-Hammond 2023 (2)

Evidence¶

Darling-Hammond 2023¶

Darling-Hammond, S. (2023). Fostering belonging, transforming schools: The impact of restorative practices. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/169.703

q2 · i? · associational · r2

School-level analyses of changes in restorative practice utilization (measured via California Healthy Kids Survey items) linked to school-level changes in student outcomes across the 485 middle schools, as summarized in the report's findings section.

"School-level use of restorative practices, caused declines in schoolwide student misbehavior, gang membership, victimization, depressive symptoms, and substance abuse."

Darling-Hammond 2023 (2)¶

Darling-Hammond, S. (2023). Fostering belonging, transforming schools: The impact of restorative practices. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/169.703

q2 · i? · associational · r3

School-level change analyses reported in the findings section: increases in utilization tracked with GPA and climate gains, and reductions tracked with declines, in the report's own printed summary of its school-level results.

"Schools that increased utilization of restorative practices also saw improvements in average school GPA and school climate. Schools that reduced their utilization of restorative practices saw declines in these outcomes."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Safety — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• School climate data supported changes to the three schools' discipline systems — related
• Restorative practices reduce exclusionary discipline and misbehavior and improve school climate, safety, and achievement, though implementation requires sustained investment — a broader claim this one bears on
• Positive developmental relationships and school connectedness protect against violence, absenteeism, and substance abuse, and increase threat reporting — related
• Access to restorative practices is inequitable: schools with more Black and economically disadvantaged students show lower restorative practice utilization — related
• Oakland 11th graders reported improved school connectedness and safety after discipline reform — related
• Substance abuse infractions declined by about 80% at both Roswell community schools during 2023–24 — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Student exposure to restorative practices improves standardized test performance and reduces suspension probability and duration — related
• Roswell's University High cut suspensions from 274 to 61 and raised graduation nearly 20 percentage points; substance abuse infractions dropped 80% at both Roswell community schools — related
• Strategies not linked to a problem behavior's specific context are associated with increases in the occurrence of that behavior — related