Graduation Year

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ed.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Educational Leadership

Major Professor

Elizabeth Shaunessy-Dedrick, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Ann Cranston-Gingras, Ph.D.

Committee Member

John Mann, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Elizabeth Doone, Ph.D.

Keywords

Principalship, Pandemic, Restorative Practices, Special Education

Abstract

The initial critical event precipitating the problem of practice at my school was the repercussions of the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018. This shooting and the resulting legislative mandates of Florida Senate Bill 7026, led to my administrative decision to adopt Restorative Practices at my school, a school for students with disabilities. Restorative Practices purport to encourage the development of positive relationships, repair and restore existing relationships thereby decreasing the chance of a repeated offense and improving school climate (Zehr, 2015). Additional rationale for the adoption was to address the disproportionality students with disabilities experience through exclusionary disciplinary practices (in/out of school suspension, expulsion, restraint, seclusion.) Exclusionary practices result in the loss of valuable classroom instructional time for students who are already significantly behind academically. The adoption of any new initiative at a school can pose a challenge for administrators. The adoption and the success of the practice at my school was specifically challenged by the whole school shutdown due to COVID-19 and the move into the virtual learning environment. The purpose of this narrative inquiry is to explore through personal reflection the challenges I faced as a school leader in implementing and utilizing Restorative Practices at a school for students with disabilities in times of crisis.

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