Date of Award
6-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Publisher
Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2024
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Abstract
This qualitative study explores the experiences of educators of color implementing restorative justice practices within the school-prison nexus. Drawing upon carceral progressivism and the school-prison nexus frameworks, it examines how these educators navigate building and repairing relational trust while transforming punitive disciplinary policies. Through interviews, pod-mapping, and community healing circles, the study elicits narratives from five Bay Area educators committed to restorative justice.
Four key themes emerge: 1) interweaving intentional restorative justice structures with authentic connection; 2) consistent care for fostering relational trust; 3) moving at the speed of trust to avoid moral injury; and 4) intergenerational wisdom and collaboration in sustaining restorative justice work. The study proposes a restorative trust model, extending Charles Feltman's framework by situating it within the context of restorative justice work in schools shaped by carceral logics.
The study provides insights and recommendations for educators, school leaders, teacher education programs, and policymakers advancing restorative justice and dismantling the school-prison nexus. By centering the voices of educators of color and proposing a contextualized restorative trust model, it contributes to the literature on restorative justice in education and offers a vision for building just, equitable, and liberatory environments for young people.
Recommended Citation
Phan, An Hoang, "Untangling While We Weave: Educators of Color Navigating Trust in Schoolwide Restorative Justice Reform" (2024). Social Justice in Educational Leadership EdD Dissertations. 9.
https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/ed_dissertations/9