Sep 2023
Becker Friedman Institute Working Paper- From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice
Topics
Projects
Read the Education Lab working paper that delves into the implementation of restorative practices within Chicago Public Schools and outlines the study’s findings.
School districts historically approached conflict-resolution from a zero-sum perspective: suspend students seen as disruptive and potentially harm them, or avoid suspensions and harm their classmates. Restorative practices (RP) – focused on reparation and shared ownership of disciplinary justice – are designed to avoid this trade-off by addressing undesirable behavior without imparting harm. This study examines Chicago Public Schools’ adoption of RP. We identify decreased suspensions, improved school climate, and find no evidence of increased classroom disruption. We estimate a 19% decrease in arrests, including for violent offenses, with reduced arrests outside of school, providing evidence that RP substantively changed behavior.
Topics
Projects
From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice
This research brief details the findings from the Education Lab’s study of the effect of restorative practices in Chicago Public Schools.
Latest Updates
A moonshot for student learning
UChicago Magazine’s Elizabeth Station highlights the Personalized Learning Initiative, through which the UChicago Education Lab and its partners are developing and testing “high-dosage” tutoring programs that seek to fill learning gaps left by the COVID-19 pandemic.
AEI Education Policy Debate Series: $190 Billion Was Not Enough. The Feds Should Spend Billions More on Learning Loss.
In this installment of the American Enterprise Institute’s Education Policy Debate Series, education policy experts will debate the motion: “$190 billion was not enough: The federal government should spend billions more on pandemic learning loss.”
In Philanthropy: Ken Griffin Donates $9M Toward Miami Schools
The Observer’s Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly penned this piece on the announcement of a $9M gift to expand intensive math tutoring for Miami-Dade students from Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel and founder of Griffin Catalyst.
