Discipline Over Punishment

Book excerpt: Discipline Over Punishment is an exploration of the transformative potential of restorative discipline practices in schools, ranging from the micro-level of one-on-one interactions with students to the macro-level of re-routing the school-to-prison pipeline and improving life outcomes for young people. Gardner, who continues to teach high school in Oakland, CA, has spent nearly 20 years innovating, struggling, and succeeding to implement various restorative justice practices in classrooms and schools around the Bay Area. Using classrooms and schools where he has taught and students, families and educators with whom he has worked, Gardner examines how restorative justice, as a set of beliefs and practices can be a force for justice and equity in our classrooms, schools, and beyond.