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From In-school Suspension to Restorative Practices Rooms: a District-level Analysis of Discipline Policy Reform

Year: 2026
Type: dissertation
Abstract: ABSTRACTKirtisha Jones: From in-School Suspension to Restorative Practice Rooms: A District-Level Analysis of Discipline Policy Reform (Under the direction of Eric Houck) School discipline practices in the United States have long been criticized for disproportionately impacting students of color and other historically marginalized student groups (Blomberg, 2004). In response, school districts have increasingly explored Restorative Practices as alternatives to exclusionary discipline approaches such as in-school suspension (ISS) and out-of-school suspension (OSS) (Marsh, 2021). While existing research documents the potential benefits of Restorative Practices for improving school climate and reducing disciplinary disparities, less is known about how school districts move from identifying inequitable discipline outcomes to developing and implementing restorative policy alternatives at the systems level. This study examined how one school district, Chapel Hill–Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS), developed and institutionalized restorative practices rooms as a districtwide alternative to traditional in-school suspension. Guided by Multiple Streams Theory (Kingdon, 1995), this qualitative policy analysis investigated how disciplinary disproportionality emerged as a recognized policy problem, how restorative practices were developed as a viable policy solution, and how governance structures facilitated the adoption and implementation of restorative practices rooms. Data sources included board agenda materials, policy documents, school improvement plans, strategic planning artifacts, equity reports, leadership communications, and implementation guidance documents produced between 2015 and 2023. These artifacts were analyzed to examine how problem recognition, policy development, and political conditions converged to support discipline reform within the district. Findings indicate that Restorative Practices rooms emerged through the convergence of three interrelated policy streams. Persistent disparities in discipline outcomes elevated disciplinary disproportionality as a system-level problem requiring district action. Concurrently, Restorative Practices were developed into a structured and scalable policy alternative through the revision of the district’s Community Code of Character, Conduct, and Support. Finally, institutional equity commitments, strategic planning structures, and board governance processes sustained political support for reform and enabled the district to operationalize Restorative Practices through the development of Restorative Practices rooms (R3 spaces) across secondary schools. This study contributes to educational leadership and policy scholarship by demonstrating how Multiple Streams Theory can be applied to local district policy processes, an area where the framework has been less frequently utilized. The findings offer practical insights into how school systems can translate equity commitments into concrete policy reforms and operational structures that support more equitable and restorative approaches to student discipline.
DOI: 10.17615/2zx6-4247
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7162760352
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