October 16, 2025
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Thursday, October 16, 2025, 9:30–10:30 am PT
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Free and open to the public
As schools navigate California’s ban on suspensions for willful defiance, leaders are exploring how restorative practices can foster accountability and belonging. Through the REACH Network (a collaborative between UCLA CTS and UC Berkeley CREEO) we have brought together researchers and school leaders to share data, frameworks, and strategies for advancing equitable discipline—with particular emphasis on supporting African American/Black students.
Speakers
Speaker bios
Jabari Mahiri (Professor and Faculty Director, BSE Leadership Programs; Chair, 21CSLA Leadership Board) is the author of Deconstructing Race: Multicultural Education Beyond the Color-Bind, as well as host of podcast Equity Leadership Now!
Michael D. Corral is the Director of the Race, Education, and Community Healing (REACH) Network at UCLA’s Center for the Transformation of Schools. The REACH Network is dedicated to eliminating the disproportionate impact of out-of-school suspensions on students of color, students with special education needs, and LGBTQ+ youth, through the development and dissemination of evidence-based alternatives. Michael’s commitment to social and educational justice is profoundly shaped through his faith and personal experiences as a low-income background and first-generation Mexican American from the Pacific Northwest, fueling his dedication to serve and advocate for historically marginalized communities.
Travis J. Bristol is an associate professor of teacher education and education policy in Berkeley’s School of Education and (by courtesy) the Department of African American Studies.(link is external) He is also the faculty director of the Center for Research on Expanding Educational Opportunity(link is external). Before joining Berkeley's faculty, he was a Peter Paul Assistant Professor at Boston University. Using qualitative methods, Dr. Bristol explores three related research strands: (1) the role of educational policies in shaping teacher workplace experiences and retention; (2) district and school-based professional learning communities; (3) the role of race and gender in educational settings. Dr. Bristol's research has appeared in over 70 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, policy briefs, and opinion editorials including Urban Education, the American Educational Research Journal, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, the Journal of Teacher Education, Teachers College Record, Harvard Educational Review, Brookings, and The Washington Post. He also co-edited two volumes: The Handbook of Research on Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers (with Conra Gist), which was published by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and Men Educators of Color in U.S. Public Schools and Abroad (with Ashley Woodson), which was published by Routledge.
Jennifer Coronel is the Director of Student Supports for the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District in La Mesa, California. In this role, she leads efforts to strengthen behavior systems and structures, advance intervention practices, and ensure equitable access to supports for all students—particularly those from historically marginalized backgrounds. She works closely with social workers, counselors, and school leaders to design and implement strategies that promote positive discipline, improve attendance, and foster inclusive learning environments across the district. Prior to joining LMSV, Jennifer served with the San Diego Unified School District, where she oversaw the Office of Children and Youth in Transition. In that capacity, she directed supports for unhoused, foster, military-connected, refugee, and formerly incarcerated youth. In both districts she has championed programs that centered advocacy, stability, and opportunity for some of the district’s most vulnerable students. Jennifer holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership as well as undergraduate degrees in French and Art History. She brings to her work a deep commitment to serving and advocating for students, building sustainable systems of support, and ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive.
Webinar Highlights
Research Perspective
Dr. Bristol introduced the “cradle to carceral pipeline,” citing Department of Education data showing that Black students account for 18% of all preschoolers but represent 43% of all preschool suspensions. Despite California’s sweeping reforms over the past decade banning willful defiance suspensions from elementary to high school, policy alone has not transformed school culture, as it merely “treats symptoms and not the disease.” While willful defiance suspensions have declined, suspensions for violence, drugs, and the ambiguous “other” category are showing upward trends.
For every 100 Black students in California, nine will likely face suspension compared to just three per 100 students overall. These disparities persist across all geographic settings and grade levels. Dr. Corral emphasized, “These are childhoods interrupted and futures redirected.” Schools with the highest Black student enrollment showed progressively elevated suspension rates for all students, not just Black students, suggesting that “schools have likely internalized exclusion as a primary tool… [which] builds cultures where punishment becomes the default.”
In response to these challenges, the REACH network offers three foundational recommendations for leaders:
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Data-driven decision-making: Make a review of discipline data and policies a non-negotiable part of improvement cycles.
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Culture of empathy and support: Establish authentic, restorative practices; leadership must model empathy from the top down.
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Family and community engagement: Integrate families and communities as genuine partners through their life experiences and voices.
Dr. Corral explained that central to this transformation is restorative leadership: “Instead of asking what rule was broken and what is the punishment, a restorative leader asks, what harm was done? What needs to be done to repair and restore the community?” This reframes students as valued community members rather than problems to be excluded.
Dr. Bristol introduced the concept of “archaeology of self,” drawing on the work of Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz: "It's not a magnifying glass that one needs. What we actually need is a mirror so that we can understand...what are some of the biases that we hold and how those biases manifest themselves in how we lead."
Intersection of Research and Practice
Director Jennifer Coronel described the biggest asset in implementing restorative practices as “a shared commitment to creating safe and supportive learning environments, and building strong relationships and shifting away from punitive discipline.” Key challenges include framing this work as a culture shift rather than another initiative and addressing the reality that schools vary in leadership capacity and readiness. She stressed the importance of providing professional learning with concrete models of best practices.
Principal Julie Pak outlined five actions to interrupt historical patterns of inequity.
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Address and challenge bias with empathy
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Provide professional development on restorative practices
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Establish fair, consistent, and equitable systems
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Collaborate with different teams to support students
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Connect with families early and often
She noted, "The work is always ongoing, and so even at my own school site, we're working on intentionally taking these five action steps."
Next Steps
Panelists identified deeply ingrained mindsets as the primary barrier. While restorative work takes time, building relationships with students is foundational to transformation. Success requires both high accountability and high support extending from school boards and superintendents to provide leaders with the necessary tools to sustain these practices over time.
Discussion/Reflection Questions
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How does your current discipline data reflect patterns of disproportionality? What does disaggregated data reveal about differences across grade levels, school sites, or geographic settings in your district?
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What "archaeology of self" work do you and your leadership team need to do to uncover and address biases before examining systemic issues? How might you create safe spaces for this reflective work?
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How are you ensuring that restorative practices represent a fundamental culture shift rather than just another initiative? What mechanisms exist to provide differentiated support for schools and teachers at different stages of readiness?
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How are you integrating families as genuine partners in shaping discipline policies and practices? What would it look like to move beyond superficial engagement to truly center family voices?
Related resources
| Webinar slides |
| Webinar flyer |
| Discipline Disparities: Why Black Students Are Punished More, and What We Can Do About It |
| Beyond the Ban: An Overview of California School Suspension Data |
| Practical Steps Toward Advancing Equitable and Supportive Discipline: A Guide for School Boards |
| California Race, Education, and Community Healing (REACH) Network Baseline Report |