Overcoming Barriers to Restorative Practices Implementation: What District Leaders Can Do

Restorative practices (RP) are increasingly written into discipline policy. RP has demonstrated improvements in school discipline, relationships, and climate but implementation challenges exist.

This qualitative study explores these challenges with ten district personnel. Data were transcribed and coded by three authors. Five themes emerged from thematic analysis by all authors: investments (i.e., in training, coaching, and time), supportive state and local policy, data and accountability (i.e., to examine implementation and outcomes), shifted mindsets and school culture, and alignment (i.e., with other district initiatives).

Key challenges included limited resources and capacity, incompatible belief systems, lacking policy clarity and practice guidelines, and too many siloed initiatives. To improve scaling and sustainability, participants sought clear implementation and evaluation guidance, alignment, and training networks.