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Abstract
Racial disparities in school discipline lead to students of color being suspended and expelled from school at significantly higher rates in comparison to White students (Gregory, Skiba, & Noguera, 2010). Restorative practices are a nontraditional approach to discipline that many schools and districts use to address this dilemma (Fronius, Persson, Guckenburg, & Petrosino, 2016). However, there is little research available to guide the training and support teachers receive to ensure effective implementation (Mayworm, Sharkey, Hunnicut, & Schiedel, 2016). As a result, this study uses constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 2014), as well as the theoretical framework of social learning and social cognitive theories (Bandura, 1986; Rotter, 1966) to create a theory that describes and explains the factors teachers feel are necessary to implement restorative practices with confidence and success. Charmazs (2014) data collection and analysis process of 12 individual interviews and one focus group interview reveal six categories that affect teachers capacity to implement restorative practices with confidence and success. These categories, which are School Structure, Trainings, Professional Development/Consultation, Internal Awareness, Additional Trainings, and Relationship/Rapport Building, make up the Perry Factor Model for Restorative Practices. This model serves as visual representation of these six categories as well as the process participants feel are essential to implement school-based restorative practices. Additionally, the Perry Factor Model for Restorative Practices offers insight to what stakeholders in education can to do to support teachers efforts to implement restorative practices with confidence and effectiveness.