Restorative or Carceral: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of School Leaders’ Discipline Equity Logics

Research has found that exclusionary punishment is ineffective, harmful, and disproportionately wielded against Black, Latino/a, and Indigenous students. The proliferation of restorative justice as an alternative has signaled a paradigmatic shift in schools. To guide this moment of transition, the field must understand how school leaders interpret carceral and restorative logics operating in their schools and how these logics relate to student outcomes. We conducted a mixed-methods analysis of out-of-school suspension outcomes associated with how principals described restorative practices within their schools. We found that principals reported carceral logics as operating across a spectrum of symbolic to authentic deployment of restorative practices informed by school–community context. We discuss the implications for policy and practice focused on rectifying school discipline inequities.