Date of Conferral
2020
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Psychology
Advisor
Cheryl Tyler-Balkcom
Abstract
The zero-tolerance approach of discipline in schools requires the involvement of law enforcement for many violations of school rules. Schools using this approach do not have the tools for effective behavior modification, without relying on school resource officers to intervene, often resulting in juvenile criminal charges. The key elements fueling this process are exclusionary discipline practices that lead to academic failure and increased high school dropout rates. Restorative justice (RJ), a targeted reform program, is a behavior management technique that promotes desirable conditions for successful academic achievement. Many schools are using components of RJ, encounter, repair, and transform; however, implementation and effectiveness have not been researched using sufficient scientific methods to establish replicable examples. Valid population specific analysis was needed to establish the effectiveness of using RJ at the school level as an alternative to punitive and exclusionary methods. This study used a nonexperimental comparative quantitative approach to examine archival data to evaluate the efficacy of using RJ in 305 middle school environments to restore nonviolent offenders to their school communities. The results show that RJ had a significant effect on the declining suspensions for students. Social change can be achieved when the juvenile justice system and education system can work together to restore adolescents to their communities rather than to further punish or alienate them.
Recommended Citation
Felps, Tammy, "Restorative Justice as a Response to Middle School Rules Violations" (2020). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 9359.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/9359
