Restorative Justice in a No Excuses Charter School

Abstract

Restorative justice practices are an increasingly popular approach to behavioral management, rooted in relationships rather than the behaviorist approach of many traditional forms of schooling. Research on restorative practice implementation demonstrates that schools rarely have time to consider cultural change, as they rush to reduce suspensions and discipline gaps. Presumably, this mismatch between culture and practice would be even more pronounced in a no-excuses charter, but this presumption warrants inquiry. Framed by theories of institutional logics, the current study examines an historically no-excuses charter school’s shift toward restorative justice. We find that a behaviorist, “no-excuses” logic inhibits teachers and administrators from embracing the cultural and ideological foundations of restorative justice, even as they express ideological and intellectual commitment to the shift in practices. We close with implications for school leadership and restorative justice implementation.