Over the past 15 years, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) has become a national model for school discipline reform through its bold embrace of restorative justice (RJ). It started in 2007 as a pilot at Cole Middle School, and would grow into a district-wide approach aimed at dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline, particularly for Black and Latino students who have long faced disproportionately harsh discipline when compared to their white peers.
The results were striking as in only the first few years of implementation, schools using restorative practices saw suspensions drop by as much as 87%, while referrals for violence decreased by 77%. Furthermore, a comparative study found that schools using RJ between 2011 and 2014 had 60% higher graduation rates, 128% gains in reading scores, and 56% lower dropout rates, showing RJ to have potentially tremendous benefits for schools as a whole.
How does RJ work? At the heart of Oakland’s RJ are peer mediation, and relationship-building activities that prioritize accountability over punishment. In day-to-day practice, RJ in Oakland includes three tiers. In tier 1 is community-building, where students and staff regularly meet to build trust, create shared values, and strengthen relationships.In tier 2 is conflict resolution, where harm is addressed through dialogue and agreement, often facilitated by a trained RJ coordinator. In tier 3 is reentry support, which is providing 1:1 support for students returning after suspension, expulsion, or extended absence to to welcome them back in a manner that supports both accountability and student achievement.
However RJ isn’t without its critics. Critics, include some educators and parents, who argue that it, especially when poorly implemented, can make classrooms harder to manage. Teachers have reported mixed experiences. Some say it improves school climate, while others feel unprepared or unsupported, especially when RJ is rolled out without adequate training or staffing. “Restorative justice became another responsibility with no resources,” one Oakland teacher noted.
Additionally, the program has also suffered from inconsistent funding. Though it was once supported by federal grants and philanthropic dollars, in 2019 budgets were proposed that would lower RJ staffing funding by $850,000. While the City of Oakland did step in with $1.2 million in emergency city funding to sustain parts of the program, whether this will be sustainable in the long-term remains unclear.
Still, the progress in reducing racial disparities in discipline has been significant. In a nation grappling with systemic inequities, OUSD RJ approach offers a glimpse of what’s possible when schools treat discipline as a path toward healing rather than exclusion.
As more districts nationwide consider these reforms, OUSD shows that while RJ can be a powerful tool in fighting the school-to-prison pipeline without proper funding and support, the true potential of RJ won’t be realized.
Read More:
Restorative Justice Oakland Unified School District
How schools are using restorative justice to remedy racial disparities in discipline – Salon
Budget challenges influence Oakland, CA’s restorative justice program -Culture Feed