Restorative Practices

Restorative Practices

Teacher and Students in the Classroom

In partnership with Chicago Public Schools, the Education Lab evaluated the effect of restorative practices implemented in high schools across the district.

Challenge

The implementation of punitive, zero-tolerance policies led to the suspension of more than 3.5 million U.S. public school students in SY 2012, more than the entire population of Chicago.

Opportunity

To reduce potential harm to students caused by punitive policies and to keep students safe and learning while in school, the Education Lab worked with Chicago Public Schools to support the uptake of restorative practices in the classroom. These practices focus on helping students improve their conflict-resolution skills and equipping teachers with strategies to support students rather than suspend them.

Project overview

Restorative practices (RP) promote the development of socio-emotional learning by encouraging self-reflection, empathetic listening, and the creation of non-judgmental spaces for conflict resolution.

While RP is a fairly new concept in public schools, it is quickly increasing in use across the nation. To measure its effects on student behavior, the University of Chicago Education Lab evaluated student-level, short-run educational and behavioral outcomes across 239 high schools within the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) system. The study analyzed data from the start of the 2008-2009 school year through the end of the 2018-2019 school year – both before and after CPS began the implementation of RP programs in 2013-2014. By comparing student behavior before and after exposure to RP and across multiple school environments, the study provides first-of-its-kind insights into the causal effects of restorative practices programming.

Watch this video for an overview of our evaluation of Restorative Practices.

Years Active

2018 – present

Project Leads

Anjali Adukia

Anjali Adukia

Assistant Professor

Bryant Cong

Bryant Cong

Research Analyst

Ben Feigenberg

Ben Feigenberg

Associate Professor

Fatemeh Momeni

Fatemeh Momeni

Research Director

Priyal Patil

Priyal Patil

Research Manager

Results

The Education Lab study found that restorative practices reduce student arrests in and outside of school and for violent and non-violent offenses, and may generate positive, genuine changes in student behavior. Schools that implemented RP policies saw a staggering 35 percent reduction in student arrests in school and a 15 percent reduction in out-of-school student arrests. The study saw declines in arrests for both violent and non-violent offenses.

In addition to significant decreases in student arrests, RP decreased out-of-school suspensions by 18 percent and improved students’ perceptions of school climate. This improvement in perception is driven by large increases in students’ perceptions that their peers’ classroom behavior improved, their increased feeling that they belong at school, and that school is a safe place to be. 

Programmatic benefits were particularly large for Black students, although the authors also found evidence that Latino male students’ test scores may have declined in response to RP adoption. Future research is needed to understand why students might have been affected in different ways.

Schools that implemented RP policies saw a staggering:

35%

reduction in arrests in school

15%

reduction in out-of-school arrests

While RP policies have previously shown promising results regarding the relationship between RP and positive outcomes, this study fills a critical gap in the research by providing the first causal evidence of the effectiveness of RP in schools. Administrators can now take into consideration this extended analysis when implementing their own programs, particularly as schools continue to grapple with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic dramatically reduced in-classroom instruction and corresponded with an uptick in student disciplinary incidents. As schools now work to accelerate student learning, boost in-classroom instruction, and address students’ socio-emotional needs, RP programs may help to generate tangible, positive results.

Headshot of Jadine Chou against grey background

For the last decade, CPS has been working tirelessly to reduce the reliance on punitive measures as a response to student behavior. As more evidence becomes available regarding the benefits of restorative practices, I hope school districts follow our lead and implement similar programs with equally successful outcomes.

Jadine Chou

Chief of Safety and Security, Chicago Public Schools

Headshot of Bessie Alcantara against grey background

The implementation of restorative practices in schools has been critical for our young people, and these practices are driving down the use of harsh discipline methods that disproportionately impact youth of color. The programming is valuable not only to students but also to educators, who receive ongoing professional development and support from our expert coaches.

Bessie Alcantara, MSW

Executive Director, Alternatives, Inc.

Headshot of ‘Ed Lab’ staff person Sadie Jefferson

Our research shows that restorative practices can make a real, positive difference in addressing students’ socio-emotional needs. We hope these findings inform how schools advance the health and success of students.

Sadie Stockdale Jefferson, PhD

Executive Director, University of Chicago Education Lab

Latest Updates

Research Shows Benefits of Using Restorative Practices in Chicago Public Schools
Media Mention
WTTW
Dec 2023

Research Shows Benefits of Using Restorative Practices in Chicago Public Schools

Watch an interview with WTTW’s Brandis Friedman and Education Lab Research Director Fatemeh Momeni on the findings of our restorative practices study.

Is Chicago’s shift to restorative justice and fewer school police working? Some say yes.
Media Mention
Chalkbeat Chicago
Sep 2023

Is Chicago’s shift to restorative justice and fewer school police working? Some say yes.

Chalkbeat Chicago’s Becky Vevea discusses Chicago Public Schools’ shift to restorative practices and the Education Lab’s recently released study of the impact of this shift.

Alternatives, Inc.: A move towards restorative practices in schools
Media Mention
WGN
Sep 2023

Alternatives, Inc.: A move towards restorative practices in schools

Education Lab affiliate Anjali Adukia and Alternatives, Inc.’s Bessie Alcantara joined Gaynor Hall on WGN-TV Weekend Morning News to discuss the impacts of the implementation of restorative practices in Chicago Public Schools high schools.

Related Resources
From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice
Research Brief

From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice

Sep 2023

This research brief details the findings from the Education Lab’s study of the effect of restorative practices in Chicago Public Schools.

NBER working paper- From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice
Academic Paper

NBER working paper- From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice

Sep 2023
Becker Friedman Institute Working Paper- From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice
Academic Paper

Becker Friedman Institute Working Paper- From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice

Sep 2023

Read the working paper on the results of the Education Lab’s findings from a study of the implementation of restorative practices in Chicago Public Schools.

Video- From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice
Video

Video- From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice

Nov 2023

This video provides an overview of the Education Lab’s evaluation of the effect of restorative practices implemented in high schools across Chicago Public Schools.