Adventure Girlz: A Restorative Leadership Program Model for Interrupting Black Girls’ School Pushout in New York City

Abstract

Young, poor, and undereducated women of color make up the majority of women who are incarcerated in the U.S. correctional system (Covington & Bloom, 2003). Black girls, in particular, are at risk of incarceration when schools leverage policies and practices (e.g. exclusionary discipline) that focus on discipline and control rather than providing a high quality education and support services for Black girls’ development. The restorative leadership program model employs unique methods to engage students and elevate their unique talents and perspectives in a school system that does not “effectively adjust and reform to fit the needs of its entire population” (Dr. Dorian Burton, personal communication, March 26, 2016). The program prioritizes educational attainment for Black girls through physical sports and field trips, critical conversations about what it means to grow up as a Black girl, events to collaborate and build relationships with peer and adult mentors, and workshops to learn personalized goal setting and reflection techniques. A restorative leadership program is an effective tool public middle schools can use to (1) increase the social emotional support provided to Black girls in order to reduce delinquent behavior and (2) reduce the number of Black girls who are pushed out of schools into the juvenile justice system.