Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Education, Counseling

Date of Defense

4-18-2025

Graduate Advisor

Emily Brown

Committee

Mary Edwin

Phillip Waalkes

Kristen Gardner

Abstract

School counselors are positioned as leaders and advocates within their school communities, playing a critical role in promoting equitable practices and systemic change. Despite decades of research indicating the harmful effects of exclusionary discipline, this approach continues to be implemented in schools across the United States. Emerging literature has indicated restorative practices as an alternative discipline approach that promotes equity, reduces disproportionality in school discipline, and fosters a positive school climate. This research focused on the experience of elementary school counselors advocating for and implementing restorative practices as an alternative to exclusionary discipline. Through a hermeneutic phenomenological and social constructivist framework, 11 elementary school counselors engaged in semi-structured interviews sharing their unique experiences in advocating for and implementing restorative practices. Thematic analysis yielded three overarching themes: (1) Elementary School Counselor Readiness to Implement Restorative Practices, (2) The Elementary School Counselor’s Critical Role in Implementing Restorative Practices: Navigating Barriers Through Action and Advocacy, and (3) The Benefits of Restorative Practices Speak for Themselves. Findings of this study contribute to scholarship by identifying elementary school counselors as leaders in the implementation and advocacy of restorative practices, providing critical context for their role in promoting equitable discipline practices. Implications of this study provide valuable strategies and techniques for school counselors to effectively advocate for and implement restorative practices within their school communities, as well as, for counselor educators training future school counselors.

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