Advancing the Use of Restorative Practices to Lessen Inequities in Punitive Discipline and Build Safe, Inclusive, and Nurturing Learning Environments for Traumatized Students

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you for the opportunity to review “Advancing the Use of Restorative Practices to Lessen Inequities in Punitive Discipline and Build Safe, Inclusive, and Nurturing Learning Environments for Traumatized Students.” It is well-suited for the special issue focused on A Whole-School Approach to Promote Mental Health, Equity, and Connectedness. I encourage the authors to consider the following recommendations to strengthen their manuscript:

1. The abstract reads as through TIPPS is going to be introduced into the literature for the first time. Since the authors cite TIPPS (2022) throughout the manuscript and do not provide an exhaustive summary of TIPPS, I would suggest adjusting the language in the abstract.
2. I was surprised that Felitti et al. (1998) was not cited in relation to ACEs. I would suggest adding this citation as they coined the term.
3. Section 2: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) section reads as though ACEs can be divided into two categories: those that result in trauma and those that do not. I would encourage the authors to clarify that trauma is marked by an individual’s (or group’s) response to an event, rather than the event itself. For example, some children exposed to parental divorce or familial substance misuse will experience trauma and others will not.
4. Please clarify how common “zero tolerance” policies are at the present time. In section 7, the authors say they have been increasingly common since the 1990s, but I believe school districts have been moving away from these policies for some time now. The presentation in the Discussion section (line 540-541) is more tempered and may be more accurate.
5. Please add citations or temper the following statements:
   1. Punitive and exclusionary measures often intensify the negative behaviors, particularly for students navigating trauma, rather than addressing the root causes (lines 276-278)
   2. Unlike the well-established negative effects associated with exclusionary punishments, restorative practices improve school climate, encourage academic success, and foster student well-being.
   3. Importantly, because systemic and interpersonal racism in school sand society lead to higher rates of trauma exposure in minority youth, these children are more susceptible to the effects of trauma on both learning and overall well-being, leading to lasting racial disparities in academic achievement and physical and mental health outcomes.” (lines 534-539) Schulz & Rubel is a qualitative study with five participants – please add additional citations to substantiate this point.
6. Is there any more recent data on disproportionality related to Black students’ experiences of suspension, expulsion, arrest, and involvement with the juvenile justice system (line 544)? This point would be strengthened with a more recent citation.
7. Please double check that you are citing original sources. For example, Koslouski et al. 2023 cite several original sources linking racial discrimination to trauma. I would recommend citing the original sources. The authors might also want to include CDC YRBS data to indicate the number of adolescents report being treated unfairly in school because of their race or ethnicity (https://yrbs-explorer.services.cdc.gov/#/). McKinnon et al., 2024 also summarize the YRBS data on these indicators: 15585/mmwr.su7304a4.
8. In Section 7, Schools as Re-Traumatizing Environments, please cite original data rather than Koslouski 2023 to share rates of bullying. Koslouski et al. cite Irwin et al., 2021 (link below). More recent data on bullying might be available. https://nces.ed.gov/use-work/resource-library/report/compendium/report-indicators-school-crime-and-safety-2020

9. The quote defining trauma as “a sudden life-threatening event in which an individual feels horrified, terrified, or helpful” (lines 87-88) does not appear in Koslouski et al., 2023. Please check this citation. In the discussion, you cite a definition of trauma from Griffin, 2018 – perhaps this was the intended citation?

Smaller suggestions:

10. Since “sanction” can mean either allow or punish, you might change the word to “allow” on line 224.
11. Lines 238-256: page numbers are not needed in the citations
12. A long quote from the TIPPS framework is included on lines 263-269. Please introduce the quotation and consider condensing or paraphrasing.
13. Your vignette is compelling and helpful. When it’s first introduced (line 297), I would suggest saying something like, “we begin with a punitive approach.” Because it is two paragraphs, it was not immediately clear to me that the second half of the vignette came later in the manuscript.

Thank you again for the opportunity to review this manuscript. I commend the authors for their thoughtful work to increase understanding of restorative practices.

Author Response

1. The abstract reads as though TIPPS is going to be introduced into the literature for the first time. Since the authors cite TIPPS (2022) throughout the manuscript and do not provide an exhaustive summary of TIPPS, I would suggest adjusting the language in the abstract.
1. Thank you for this feedback. We agree that the original wording may have overstated the novelty of TIPPS in the literature. We revised the abstract to clarify that the manuscript examines/applies the existing TIPPS framework rather than introduce it for the first time. 
2. I was surprised that Felitti et al. (1998) was not cited in relation to ACEs. I would suggest adding this citation as they coined the term.
1. Thank you for this recommendation. We agree that Felitti et al. (1998) is a foundational source in the ACEs literature. We have added this citation in both the introduction and Adverse Childhood Experiences sections. 
3. Section 2: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) section reads as though ACEs can be divided into two categories: those that result in trauma and those that do not. I would encourage the authors to clarify that trauma is marked by an individual’s (or group’s) response to an event, rather than the event itself. For example, some children exposed to parental divorce or familial substance misuse will experience trauma and others will not.
1. Thank you for this suggestion. We have added this distinction to our discussion of ACEs in lines 42-47. We clarified that exposure to an ACE does not necessarily result in trauma. 
4. Please clarify how common “zero tolerance” policies are at the present time. In section 7, the authors say they have been increasingly common since the 1990s, but I believe school districts have been moving away from these policies for some time now. The presentation in the Discussion section (line 540-541) is more tempered and may be more accurate.
1. Thank you for this clarification. We agree that the prevalence of zero-tolerance policies has shifted over time. In response, we revised the language in Section 7 to avoid overstating their current use and to better reflect the more nuanced discussion presented later in the manuscript. Specifically, we clarified that zero-tolerance policies became increasingly widespread beginning in the 1990s, while also acknowledging recent efforts to reduce reliance on punitive disciplinary practices (lines 196-203). 
5. Please add citations or temper the following statements:
1. Punitive and exclusionary measures often intensify the negative behaviors, particularly for students navigating trauma, rather than addressing the root causes (lines 276-278)
1. Thank you for pointing this out. We tempered the writing, as the idea is an original synthesis rather than a paraphrase (p.7). 
2. Unlike the well-established negative effects associated with exclusionary punishments, restorative practices improve school climate, encourage academic success, and foster student well-being.
1. Thank you for pointing this out. We added in a citation (Skiba et al., 2014) that summarizes the negative effects associated with exclusionary punishments. 
3. Importantly, because systemic and interpersonal racism in schools and society lead to higher rates of trauma exposure in minority youth, these children are more susceptible to the effects of trauma on both learning and overall well-being, leading to lasting racial disparities in academic achievement and physical and mental health outcomes.” (lines 534-539) Schulz & Rubel is a qualitative study with five participants – please add additional citations to substantiate this point.
1. Thank you for your response. We revised the writing and added in existing citations, instead of relying on Schulz & Rubel. 
6. Is there any more recent data on disproportionality related to Black students’ experiences of suspension, expulsion, arrest, and involvement with the juvenile justice system (line 544)? This point would be strengthened with a more recent citation.
1. Thank you for pointing this out. We found a 2024 study confirming that Black students continue to be overrepresented among those punished in public schools (Darling-Hammond & Ho, 2024). We have cited this article instead to strengthen our conclusion. 
7. Please double check that you are citing original sources. For example, Koslouski et al. 2023 cite several original sources linking racial discrimination to trauma. I would recommend citing the original sources. The authors might also want to include CDC YRBS data to indicate the number of adolescents report being treated unfairly in school because of their race or ethnicity (https://yrbs-explorer.services.cdc.gov/#/). McKinnon et al., 2024 also summarize the YRBS data on these indicators: 15585/mmwr.su7304a4.
1. Thank you for this suggestion. We replaced each of our Koslouski et al., 2023 citations with the original sources. Additionally, we added data from McKinnon et al., 2024 to highlight how adolescents of color continue to report being treated unfairly in school. 
8. In Section 7, Schools as Re-Traumatizing Environments, please cite original data rather than Koslouski 2023 to share rates of bullying. Koslouski et al. cite Irwin et al., 2021 (link below). More recent data on bullying might be available. https://nces.ed.gov/use-work/resource-library/report/compendium/report-indicators-school-crime-and-safety-2020
1. Thank you for pointing this out. Using the Koslouski et al., 2023 article, we returned to this section to ensure that original data and sources were cited. I highlighted these sources in the first paragraph of Section 7. 
9. The quote defining trauma as “a sudden life-threatening event in which an individual feels horrified, terrified, or helpful” (lines 87-88) does not appear in Koslouski et al., 2023. Please check this citation. In the discussion, you cite a definition of trauma from Griffin, 2018 – perhaps this was the intended citation?
1. Thank you for pointing this out. The original citation for trauma as “a sudden life-threatening event in which an individual feels horrified, terrified, or helpful” appears in Jaycox et al., 2009. We updated both citations in the manuscript. 
10. Smaller suggestions
1. Since “sanction” can mean either allow or punish, you might change the word to “allow” on line 224.
1. Thank you for this suggestion. We replaced “sanction” with “allow” on line 224 to improve clarity. 
2. Lines 238-256: page numbers are not needed in the citations
1. Thank you for pointing this out. We removed unnecessary page numbers from the citations in lines 238-256. 
3. A long quote from the TIPPS framework is included on lines 263-269. Please introduce the quotation and consider condensing or paraphrasing.
1. Thank you for this suggestion. We decided to both condense and paraphrase the quote to highlight our point that building trusting relationships is essential to a trauma-informed framework. 
4. Your vignette is compelling and helpful. When it’s first introduced (line 297), I would suggest saying something like, “we begin with a punitive approach.” Because it is two paragraphs, it was not immediately clear to me that the second half of the vignette came later in the manuscript.
1. Thank you for this suggestion. We revised the introduction to the vignette to clarify that the manuscript first presents a punitive response to the scenario.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you for the opportunity to review, “Advancing the Use of Restorative Practices to Lessen Inequities in Punitive Discipline and Build Safe, Inclusive, and Nurturing Learning Environments for Traumatized Students.”

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this manuscript. The paper addresses an important topic and does a good job discussing school discipline, trauma, and restorative practices in a thoughtful way. I appreciated the discussion of school discipline as an ACE, and the framing around complex racial trauma was also compelling. I found the manuscript very readable and engaging. I only have a few comments for the authors to consider.

1. I think it would help readers who are less familiar with RP if more concrete examples were introduced earlier in the “8. Restorative Approaches” section. For example, I appreciated the discussion of effectiveness and supporting research in lines 238–248, but I found myself still wanting a clearer sense of what RP actually looks like in practice (e.g., circles) before getting into outcomes. Perhaps the paragraph beginning around line 249 could be moved earlier. Relatedly, discussing outcomes again on lines 514 seems out of place in future directions and might fit better with the other results earlier in section 8.
2. I was a little unclear at times whether the manuscript was discussing TIPPS specifically or restorative practices more generally. Are there important differences between TIPPS and other RP programs/interventions? Do most restorative practice approaches incorporate trauma-informed principles, or is TIPPS somewhat unique in combining both? Since TIPPS later receives its own section, I wondered whether some of the earlier TIPPS discussion (line 257-269) might fit better in the later section instead. Also, is there any research evidence of TIPPS success in reducing school discipline and/or other outcomes versus RP more broadly?
3. I thought the point around line 398 that practices rather than programs may ultimately drive outcomes was a really important takeaway and could potentially even be emphasized a bit more.
4. I appreciated the discussion acknowledging the level of training/support required for teachers and staff implementing these approaches. The point in the conclusion about instructors meeting weekly was especially helpful, and I appreciated the discussion of fidelity and use of a comprehensive intervention manual. If available, it may be useful to include citations or resources for readers interested in implementation details/manuals.
5. In concrete terms, how long does it take to train staff and implement TIPPS on average? I realize it may depend but providing it bit more information on that could be helpful.
6. Minor typos/clarifications

• Line 36 appears to have a typo (“students”) and Line 386 (“uncomfortable”) also appears to be missing a letter.
• Restorative Justice Education is spelled out after the acronym was already introduced.

 

 

Author Response

1. I think it would help readers who are less familiar with RP if more concrete examples were introduced earlier in the “8. Restorative Approaches” section. For example, I appreciated the discussion of effectiveness and supporting research in lines 238–248, but I found myself still wanting a clearer sense of what RP actually looks like in practice (e.g., circles) before getting into outcomes. Perhaps the paragraph beginning around line 249 could be moved earlier. Relatedly, discussing outcomes again on lines 514 seems out of place in future directions and might fit better with the other results earlier in section 8.
   1. Thank you for this helpful suggestion. We agree that providing an earlier concrete example of restorative practices would improve accessibility for readers less familiar with restorative practices. In response, we revised Section 8 to introduce restorative circles earlier in the section, immediately following the initial conceptual overview of restorative approaches. 
2. I was a little unclear at times whether the manuscript was discussing TIPPS specifically or restorative practices more generally. Are there important differences between TIPPS and other RP programs/interventions? Do most restorative practice approaches incorporate trauma-informed principles, or is TIPPS somewhat unique in combining both? Since TIPPS later receives its own section, I wondered whether some of the earlier TIPPS discussion (line 257-269) might fit better in the later section instead. Also, is there any research evidence of TIPPS success in reducing school discipline and/or other outcomes versus RP more broadly?
   1. Thank you for this observation. We agree that the relationship between TIPPS and restorative practices  was not sufficiently clear in the original manuscript. In response, we revised the TIPPS paragraph (on p.6) to distinguish TIPPS from RP by clarifying that TIPPS is a framework that integrates trauma-informed principles with restorative practices, rather than being synonymous with RP broadly. 
3. I thought the point around line 398 that practices rather than programs may ultimately drive outcomes was a really important takeaway and could potentially even be emphasized a bit more.
   1. Thank you for highlighting this point. We agree that the distinction between practices and programs is an important takeaway and appreciate the suggestion to emphasize it more strongly. In response, we revised the paragraph (lines 417-420) to highlight this idea.
4. I appreciated the discussion acknowledging the level of training/support required for teachers and staff implementing these approaches. The point in the conclusion about instructors meeting weekly was especially helpful, and I appreciated the discussion of fidelity and use of a comprehensive intervention manual. If available, it may be useful to include citations or resources for readers interested in implementation details/manuals.
   1. Thank you for this suggestion. We included a link to our TIPPS Tools and Resources page, a comprehensive list of our most updated links/resources, in the first paragraph of the “Future Directions” section (lines 514-518). 
5. In concrete terms, how long does it take to train staff and implement TIPPS on average? I realize it may depend but providing a bit more information on that could be helpful.
   1. Thank you for this suggestion. We added information about the length of TIPPS training into the first paragraph of our “Future Directions” section (lines 514-516).  
6. Minor typos/clarifications
   1. Line 36 appears to have a typo (“students”) and Line 386 (“uncomfortable”) also appears to be missing a letter.
   2. Restorative Justice Education is spelled out after the acronym was already introduced.
      1. Thank you for pointing out these typos/clarifications. We made all the suggested edits in the manuscript. We also made sure to introduce the acronym of RJE before using it later in the manuscript. 

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I have no further concerns and look forward to reading the paper again in print.

Author Response

1. I have no further concerns and look forward to reading the paper again in print.
   1. Thank you for your thoughtful feedback and for reviewing the revised manuscript. We are glad the revisions addressed your concerns, and we appreciate your time and consideration.