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 Psychologyannegreg@rutgers.edu

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

• 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

Authoritative Discipline

StructureStructure

SupportSupport

Student VoiceStudent Voice

Authoritative Discipline Climate

High Academic Press and

High Teacher Support

Lower Suspension Rates for Black and

White Students

From a prevention standpoint, how can schools

move staff toward an authoritative discipline

climate and away from a punitive climate?

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.

Sample teacher consultation program

My Teaching Partner-Secondary (MTP-S)

o Sustained over the whole school yearo Focused on teachers’ interactions with students as

viewed through regular video-recorded instructiono 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/

Overview of MTP™ Cycle

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

Detail on the CLASS-SEmotional 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.

Detail on the CLASS-SOrganizational

SupportBehavior 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).

Detail on the CLASS-SInstructional SupportInstructional 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.

Percentage of students receiving at least one exclusionary discipline

Intervention Teachers

Control Teachers0.0%

2.0%

4.0%

6.0%

8.0%

10.0%

12.0%

14.0%

16.0%

6.0%

13.7%

5.8%5.1%

African American

All Others

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

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 assistanceo Re-engaging those who become disengaged.

• Effectiveness in addressing problems• Timely follow up when students have problems

• Student comforto Taking risks, seeking support, participating freely

Analysis and Inquiry (!!!)

• Opportunities for high level thinkingo Analysis, creation, synthesis, evaluation

• Problem solvingo Opportunities for new application of previously learned conceptso Hypothesis generation and testing

• Metacognitiono Promotes “thinking about thinking”o Self-evaluation and reflection encouragedo Teacher models metacognition

• 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

Integrating student voice

Systematic integration of student voice through RESTORATIVE APPROACHES

to disciplineMara 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.

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 CAMPAIGNMODEL CODEWEBINAR V: RESTORATIVE JUSTICE, http://www.dignityinschools.org/files/ModelCode_Webinar_RestorativeJustice.pdf

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 wrongdoingBrings 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

AffectiveQuestions

Small ImpromptuConference

Circles

Formal Conference

Restorative Practices Continuum from the International Institute of Restorative Practices

(IIRP)

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)

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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)

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(IIRP, 2009)

Teachers above (n = 16) and below (n = 13) the mean on student-perceived RP implementation and their

misconduct/defiance referrals

High RP Low RP0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

2.92

9.13

0.77 1.69

African American/Latino

White/Asian

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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.

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 wrongdoingBrings 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

AffectiveQuestions

Small ImpromptuConference

Circles

Formal Conference

Training school staff tointegrate problem-solving into daily practice

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?

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 wrongdoingBrings 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

AffectiveQuestions

Small ImpromptuConference

Circles

Formal Conference

Restorative Practices Continuum from the International Institute of Restorative Practices

(IIRP)

Recent findings in a large urban district using restorative

conferences

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Restorative Conference,

Circle, orMediation

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)

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 Practiceshttp://www.safersanerschools.org/