Critical Conversations With School Leaders on Restorative Justice Practices

Abstract

This chapter examines school leaders’ perspectives on restorative justice practices in an urban school, highlighting both the potential and challenges of implementation. Disproportionate suspension rates for students of colour and students with disabilities have prompted administrators to rethink punitive approaches and adopt restorative models that emphasize reconciliation by addressing harm, responsibility, and repair. Building upon the first author’s previous study on special education teachers’ perspectives on race and restorative justice (Presberry, 2025), this chapter extends the inquiry by centring the voices of school leaders. Their reflections illustrate how restorative justice, when grounded in relationships and community building, can strengthen staff rapport, improve school culture, and enhance family partnerships. Using qualitative interviews and thematic analysis, the authors capture how school leaders interpret and apply restorative justice in their daily practice. Findings reveal that ongoing professional development, responsiveness to community needs, and collaboration with a skilled restorative justice practitioner were key to their success. The chapter concludes that restorative justice can promote equity by disrupting the school-to-prison nexus and supporting more inclusive and just educational outcomes for marginalized students.