Presentation on how educators can eradicate disparities in school discipline.

1. Increasing equitable outcomes in
classrooms and schools: The role
of academic rigor, support, and
student voice
Anne Gregory, Ph.D.
Rutgers University
Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology
annegreg@rutgers.edu

2. http://rtpcollaborative.indiana.edu/briefing-papers/

3. • Effective schools offer equity-oriented prevention and intervention
to “resolve and educate” not “deport and discipline.”
• Preventing discipline disparities:
• Offer supportive relationships,
• Academic rigor,
• Culturally relevant and responsive teaching,
• Bias-free classrooms and respectful school environments
• Intervening when conflict occurs:
• Problem-solve,
• Engage youth and families,
• Reintegrate students after conflict.
School-Based Interventions for Reducing Disparities

4. Structure
Support
Student Voice
Authoritative Discipline
Climate

5. High
Academic
Press and
High
Teacher
Support
Lower
Suspension
Rates for
Black and
White
Students

6. From a prevention standpoint,
how can schools move staff
toward an authoritative
discipline climate and away
from a punitive climate?

7. Teacher support and
consultation
• Teacher trust and motivation.
• Time for observation and reflection.
• Select a reliable and validated
instrument to guide your observation
and consultation.

8. Sample teacher
consultation program
My Teaching Partner-Secondary (MTP-S)
o Sustained over the whole school year
o Focused on teachers’ interactions with students
as viewed through regular video-recorded
instruction
o Rigorous – based on research/theory and the
Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)
• Developed through Robert Pianta and Bridget Hamre’s
work at University of Virginia
http://www.mtpsecondary.net/

9. Overview of MTP™ Cycle

10. Classroom Assessment & Scoring System- Secondary
(CLASS-S)
Emotional
Support
Positive Climate
Teacher Sensitivity
Regard for Adolescent
Perspectives
Instructional Support
Instructional Learning
Format
Content Understanding
Analysis & Problem
Solving
Quality of Feedback
Classroom Organization
Behavior Management
Productivity
Negative Climate
Student Outcomes
Student Engagement

11. Detail on the CLASS-S
Emotional Support
Positive Climate The emotional tone of the
classroom (e.g., warmth and
connection among teachers and
students).
Teacher Sensitivity The teacher’s responsiveness to
academic and social/emotional
needs of students.
Regard for Adolescent
Perspectives
The extent to which the teacher
offers leadership, autonomy, and
content relevance to students.

12. Detail on the CLASS-S
Organizational Support
Behavior Management Teacher’s use of effective methods
to encourage desirable behavior
and redirect misbehavior.
Productivity The teacher’s management of time
to maximize instruction
Negative Climate The level of expressed negativity
(e.g., irritability, frustration, anger).

13. Detail on the CLASS-S
Instructional Support
Instructional Learning Formats The teacher’s provision of
interesting, varied lessons and
materials.
Content Understanding The depth of lesson content and
integration of facts, skills, concepts,
and principles.
Analysis and Inquiry The degree to which the teacher
facilitates higher level thinking
skills, problem solving, and
metacognition.
Quality of Feedback The provision of feedback that
expands or extends learning and
understanding.

14. Percentage of students receiving at least one
exclusionary discipline
6.0%
13.7%
5.8%
5.1%
0.0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
10.0%
12.0%
14.0%
16.0%
Intervention Teachers Control Teachers
African American
All Others

15. Classroom Assessment & Scoring System- Secondary
(CLASS-S)
Emotional
Support
Positive Climate
Teacher Sensitivity
Regard for Adolescent
Perspectives
Instructional Support
Instructional Learning
Format
Content Understanding
Analysis & Problem
Solving
Quality of Feedback
Classroom Organization
Behavior Management
Productivity
Negative Climate
Student Outcomes
Student Engagement

16. Teacher sensitivity
• Awareness
o Checks in with students, anticipated problems, notices difficulties
• Responsiveness to academic and social and
emotional needs and cues.
o Acknowledges emotions and out of class factors,
o Reassurance and assistance
o Re-engaging those who become disengaged.
• Effectiveness in addressing problems
• Timely follow up when students have problems
• Student comfort
o Taking risks, seeking support, participating freely

17. Analysis and Inquiry (!!!)
• Opportunities for high level thinking
o Analysis, creation, synthesis, evaluation
• Problem solving
o Opportunities for new application of previously learned concepts
o Hypothesis generation and testing
• Metacognition
o Promotes “thinking about thinking”
o Self-evaluation and reflection encouraged
o Teacher models metacognition

18. • Effective schools offer equity-oriented prevention and intervention
to “resolve and educate” not “deport and discipline.”
• Preventing discipline disparities:
• Offer supportive relationships,
• Academic rigor,
• Culturally relevant and responsive teaching,
• Bias-free classrooms and respectful school environments
• Intervening when conflict occurs:
• Problem-solve,
• Engage youth and families,
• Reintegrate students after conflict.
School-Based Interventions for Reducing Disparities

19. Systematic integration of student voice
through RESTORATIVE APPROACHES to
discipline
Mara Schiff’s (2013) summary of a
Restorative Approach to Discipline
• Focuses on relationships
• Gives voice to the person
harmed and the person who
caused the harm
• Engages collaborative problem-
solving
• Dialogue-based decision-making
process
• An agreed upon plan leads to
actions aimed at repairing the
harm done.
Schiff, M. (2013). Dignity, disparity and desistance: Effective restorative justice strategies to plug the “school-to-
prison pipeline.” In Center for Civil Rights Remedies National Conference. Closing the School to Research
Gap: Research to Remedies Conference. Washington, DC.

20. RESTORATIVE APPROACHES-
DEFINITIONS
Restorative Justice – A theory of justice that
emphasizes repairing the harm.
Restorative practices – A framework for a broad range
of restorative justice approaches that proactively
build a school community based on cooperation,
mutual understanding, trust and respect.
From: DIGNITY IN SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN
MODEL CODEWEBINAR V: RESTORATIVE JUSTICE,
http://www.dignityinschools.org/files/ModelCode_Webinar_RestorativeJustice.pdf

21. Brief
comments
about how
others were
impacted by
the person’s
behavior.
Affective
Questions are
one step
further; asks
questions such
as, who was
affected, how
they were
affected, etc.
Occur when
a few
people meet
briefly to
address and
resolve a
problem.
More
formal RP
that allows
everyone to
have some
say in what
should
happen as a
result of the
wrongdoing
Brings together
offenders,
victims and
communities of
support to repair
harm and
promote healing.
Adapted from Costello, B. , Wachtel, J. & Wachtel, T. (2010)., Restorative circles in schools building community
and enhancing learning.
Affective
statements
Affective
Questions
Small Impromptu
Conference
Circles
Formal
Conference
Restorative Practices Continuum from the International
Institute of Restorative Practices (IIRP)

22. Experiencing Restorative Practices in
the classroom
My teacher is respectful when talking about feelings.
(Affective Statements)
When someone misbehaves, my teacher responds to
negative behaviors by asking students questions about
what happened, who has been harmed and how the
harm can be repaired. (Restorative Questions)
My teacher uses circles to provide opportunities for
students to share feelings, ideas and experiences.
(Proactive Circles) (IIRP, 2009)
22

23. What the students might experience
through the RP Elements
My teacher asks students for their thoughts and ideas
when decisions need to be made that affect the class
(Fair Process)
My teacher uses circles to respond to behavior
problems and repair harm caused by misbehavior
(Responsive Circles)
My teacher acknowledges the feelings of students
when they have misbehaved (Management of Shame)
23
(IIRP, 2009)

24. Teachers above (n = 16) and below (n = 13) the mean on student-
perceived RP implementation and their misconduct/defiance referrals
2.92
9.13
0.77 1.69
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
High RP Low RP
African
American/Latino
White/Asian
24
Gregory A., Clawson, K., Davis, A., & Gerewitz, J. (2014). The promise of restorative practices to transform
teacher-student relationships and achieve equity in school discipline. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation.

25. Brief
comments
about how
others were
impacted by
the person’s
behavior.
Affective
Questions are
one step
further; asks
questions such
as, who was
affected, how
they were
affected, etc.
Occur when
a few
people meet
briefly to
address and
resolve a
problem.
More
formal RP
that allows
everyone to
have some
say in what
should
happen as a
result of the
wrongdoing
Brings together
offenders,
victims and
communities of
support to repair
harm and
promote healing.
Adapted from Costello, B. , Wachtel, J. & Wachtel, T. (2010)., Restorative circles in schools building community
and enhancing learning.
Affective
statements
Affective
Questions
Small Impromptu
Conference
Circles
Formal
Conference
Training school staff to
integrate problem-solving into daily practice

26. During impromptu conferences:
Allow each student to reflect on
the conflict through a series of questions:
From Costello, B., Wachtel, J. & Wachtel, T. (2010).
Restorative circles in schools building community and enhancing learning.
Questions to ask the disputant: Questions to ask those harmed or
affected by the incident:
What happened? What did you think when you
realized what had happened?
What were you thinking about at
the time? What have your thoughts
been since?
What have your thoughts been
since?
Who has been affected by what you
did? In what way have they been
affected?
How has this affected you and
others? What has been the hardest
thing for you?
What do you think you need to do
to make things right?
What do you think needs to happen
to make things right?

27. Brief
comments
about how
others were
impacted by
the person’s
behavior.
Affective
Questions are
one step
further; asks
questions such
as, who was
affected, how
they were
affected, etc.
Occur when
a few people
meet briefly
to address
and resolve
a problem.
More formal
RP that
allows
everyone to
have some
say in what
should
happen as a
result of the
wrongdoing
Brings
together
offenders,
victims and
communities
of support to
repair harm
and promote
healing.
Adapted from Costello, B. , Wachtel, J. & Wachtel, T. (2010)., Restorative circles in schools building community
and enhancing learning.
Affective
statements
Affective
Questions
Small Impromptu
Conference
Circles
Formal
Conference
Restorative Practices Continuum from the International
Institute of Restorative Practices (IIRP)

28. Recent findings in a large urban district
using restorative conferences
28
Restorative
Conference,
Circle, or
Mediation
Lower chance
of future
discipline
referral
Rigorous statistical analyses accounted for race, gender, income, ELL status,
disability status, reason for referral.
(Gregory et al., manuscript in preparation)

29. Resources for Restorative
Practices
Introducing Restorative Justice for Oakland
Youth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtdoWo1D3sY
Restorative Justice Student Facilitators: Tier One. Community Building Circle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdKhcQrLD1w
Restorative Justice Helps At Risk Kids in West Oakland NBC Bay
Area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSObF8hW5DY
Restorative Welcome and Re-entry
Circle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSJ2GPiptvc
Restorative Justice Circle: http://vimeo.com/37746907
From Hostility to Harmony:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQWNyS4QSao
International Institute of Restorative Practices
http://www.safersanerschools.org/