Discipline Practices Clinical Trial
Official title:
Cultivating Healing by Implementing Restorative Practices for Youth
1.1 Project Goals and Objectives: The goals for this project are to: (1) Engage school district stakeholders in a Southwestern U.S. state in a structured planning process for incorporating tailored restorative practices within culturally and economically diverse middle schools to reduce adverse student outcomes related to discipline; (2) Produce scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness and the costs/benefits of restorative practices implemented in these middle schools using a stratified cluster randomized design and mixed methods; and (3) Build capacity within schools to implement and evaluate restorative practices with fidelity after implementation support has ended, and to facilitate a cascade of practices districtwide. The project consists of four phases based on the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment (EPIS) model.
Statement of the problem: Zero-tolerance policies, emphasizing rigid responses to
infractions, including removal of students from school and referrals to juvenile justice
systems, have prevailed nationwide. Such policies disproportionately affect
minority/disadvantaged students by severely disciplining them for minimal infractions,
imperiling their academic performance and graduation, and potentially leading to detention or
incarceration. In contrast, restorative justice practices elicit understanding of the
perspectives of those involved in conflict and rule violations, addressing the effect of
offenses, and remedying the damage, thus opening up healing opportunities and keeping
students in the classroom. Yet, little research exists regarding their effectiveness in
reducing negative student outcomes and developing positive school climates. Our knowledge of
factors associated with successful implementation and fidelity, and adaptations at the
district, school, staff, and student levels to promote their sustained use is also
inadequate.
Partnerships: This project addresses these gaps by developing a Community-Academic
Partnership (CAP) to implement and evaluate a large-scale restorative practice initiative for
middle schools. Our CAP involves a Southwestern U.S. state school district that wishes to
remain anonymous, other key community entities, and academic researchers.
Research design/methods: The project will: (1) Engage school district stakeholders in a
structured planning process for incorporating tailored restorative practices within
culturally and economically diverse middle schools to reduce adverse student outcomes related
to discipline; (2) Produce scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness and the
costs/benefits of restorative practices implemented in these middle schools using a
stratified cluster randomized design and mixed methods; and (3) Build capacity within schools
to implement and evaluate restorative practices with fidelity after implementation support
has ended, and to facilitate cascade of practices districtwide. A combination of qualitative
methods (interviews, focus groups, and document review) and quantitative methods (surveys and
administrative data review) will be used to evaluate and track implementation success and
outcomes.
Analysis: Procedures include iterative qualitative data coding, descriptive statistical
analysis, multilevel modeling, and cost/benefits analysis.
Products, reports, and archiving: This project will advance a set of strategies to enhance
child wellbeing. The CAP will disseminate these strategies and accompanying evaluation
methods via national/state conferences, districtwide reports, peer-reviewed publications, and
open access mediums.
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| Status | Clinical Trial | Phase | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Completed |
NCT00558987 -
Parenting Videos In Primary Care
|
N/A |