Miles Davison, sociology graduate student, has received a $27,500 National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship to study how different disciplinary intervention programs impact youth in education.

“Research shows the pivotal role school discipline plays in shaping students’ educational attainment. As awareness about racial disproportionality in exposure to punitive disciplinary environments has increased, schools have begun to adopt restorative justice (RJ) programs that seek to minimize punitive disciplinary approaches like suspension and instead promote practices aimed at building relationships between students and teachers, mediating conflict, and improving school climates,” he says. “Although schools are increasingly implementing these programs to address concerns around the short- and long-term consequences of punitive school discipline, there is need for research examining their effects and if certain aspects are particularly important for supporting youth in education.”

Through an analysis of restorative justice programs at three school districts, his work will provide insights into where and for whom restorative justice is effective while contributing to broader conversations on intervention programs, racial inequality and the school-to-prison pipeline.

One-year funding for this work began in May.