Switching to restorative practices to respond to student misconduct in Chicago schools has led to a significant reduction in suspensions and arrests, as well as improvements in how students perceive their school climate, according to a groundbreaking study.
Black male students saw the greatest benefits, according to the University of Chicago Education Lab, which says this is the first study of the effects of a large-scale implementation of restorative practices on an education system. Those practices try to help students understand the consequences of their behavior and repair harm, and represent a shift away from exclusionary practices, such as suspending and expelling students.
