Every week, a member of the Greater Houston education community is interviewed for Pop Quiz. Please send an email to [email protected] if you know of someone we should interview who has a compelling story to share.
Meet the interviewee
Anita Wadhwa spent five years in the early 2000s teaching at a high school in the Houston ISD, where she gained firsthand knowledge of some of the most pressing issues facing education, such as teacher burnout and student dropout rates.
Wadhwa, however, was eager to find out about possible remedies. She therefore enrolled in a doctoral program and focused her research on restorative justice because she believed it could change some of the harmful patterns she had observed in schools.
In general, restorative justice refers to a collection of procedures that, rather than using punishment, address rule violations—like a brawl in the lunchroom—by focusing on student comprehension and healing.
According to some supporters, the strategy might help close the ongoing disciplinary gaps that exist between student groups that are more likely than their peers to incur severe sanctions, such as Black, Hispanic, and low-income kids.
Wadwha established the nonprofit organization Restorative Houston in 2013 and now frequently hosts restorative circles in numerous schools in the Houston region, bringing kids together to talk about personal concerns.
The practice’s variations are still debatable. Restorative justice methods are frequently criticized for being overly gentle and ineffective at deterring rule-breaking by pupils. District trustees resisted and blocked Christie Whitbeck’s attempt to use restorative practices last year in an effort to reduce discipline inequities at Fort Bend ISD.
The third week of November has long been observed as International Restorative Justice Week by certain proponents of restorative justice. Wadhwa was interviewed by the Houston Landing to commemorate the event and learn more about the potential implications of the practice for nearby schools.
For length and clarity, this interview has been slightly altered.
For folks who might not be so familiar, what is restorative justice and why is it something you believe is important?
What might that tangibly look like and what role might it have in a school setting?
It sounds designed to build empathy.
Some folks hesitation with these sort of practices might be that students wouldn t buy in, or that the process wouldn t actually reverse students behavior. What s been your experience based on the circles you ve done?
That s more preventative?
In Fort Bend, there was a push from the superintendent for what they were calling restorative practices in response to discipline issues. But then a number of board members pushed back on that proposal. So I m curious why this is a process that some people deem controversial.
This has been really interesting. For folks who are interested in learning more, how could they plug in?
The Landing’s Houston ISD is covered by Asher Lehrer-Small. You can contact him directly [email protected] or follow him on Instagram at @by_ash_lson and @small_asheron X.
Republish this narrative
Our stories can be republished in print or online for free.
