A Foundation for Restoration: A Case Study Investigation of Successful Restorative Justice and Practice Implementation in an Independent School 147 views

This exploratory case study examined successful restorative practices implementation at a mid-sized independent school in the Mid-Atlantic region. Existing literature on K-12 restorative practices implementation largely focuses on public school settings. Integration of restorative practices varies widely in terms of scope, duration, delivery, and frequency, and much of the existing literature lacks specific details about implementation and practices (Zakszeski & Rutherford, 2021). This study sought to understand specific implementation details within an independent school setting with the goal of making recommendations to a school in the early stages of this process. This study leveraged a conceptual and theoretical framework centering systems theory and relational logic. Qualitative data were collected through interviews, a focus group, and document analysis of public-facing and internal documents at the case site. Findings highlighted the importance of mission-alignment with restorative practices, multi-level and long-term implementation, engaging multiple stakeholders, and ongoing professional development as features of successful implementation. Inconsistency in communication, variability in implementation, and difficulty with buy-in hindered implementation. These findings were leveraged to make recommendations for new restorative practices implementation including clearly articulating values, developing a shared power model, creating consistent protocols for communication and training, and planning for long-term implementation. Implications for future research in independent school contexts and a restorative data gathering research methodology are discussed.

EDD (Doctor of Education)

restorative practices; independent schools; restorative justice; systems theory; relational theory; private schools; program implementation

English

All rights reserved by the author (no additional license for public reuse)

2026-06-29