Reframing Restorative Justice in Education: Shifting Power to Heal and Transform School Communities

Abstract

Abstract Restorative Justice (RJ) is an educational “innovation” introduced into school communities as a counter approach to traditional punitive discipline practices. In this paper, we provide a critical examination of RJ in education by naming common pitfalls to RJ implementation in schools and providing four transformational cultural shifts schools might make to actualize an RJ model that challenges traditional notions of power, pays homage to culturally grounded traditions, and empowers youth to lead the way.