How Can My School or District Start Using Restorative Practices?
Implementing Restorative Practices in schools can feel overwhelming at first, but the good news is—you don’t have to do everything at once. Schools don’t need to immediately transform their entire discipline system or classroom culture overnight. The best way to start small is by hosting a Restorative Practices training for leaders, followed by a discussion to explore whether this approach aligns with the school’s vision and existing initiatives. From there, schools can phase implementation in a way that feels intentional, sustainable, and responsive to their unique needs.
In this blog, we’ll break down how schools and districts can get started, including the 5 steps of Restorative Practices implementation, examples of Restorative Practices, classroom techniques, and communication strategies that help schools successfully shift to a restorative approach.
How Can My School or District Start Using Restorative Practices: A Guide to Implementation
Successful Restorative Practices implementation requires more than just attending a training—it’s about changing mindsets, building systems, and integrating restorative approaches into daily routines within both individual classrooms and the broader school community. At Collaborative School Culture (CSC), we guide schools through a structured process to ensure that Restorative Practices are not just another initiative, but a lasting shift in school culture.
Fostering a positive school climate through restorative practices is crucial for promoting supportive relationships and communities, leading to safer school environments.
Here are the five steps of Restorative Practices implementation:
1. Assess Readiness
Before diving in, school and district leaders should evaluate where they are. Consider these questions:
What existing systems (PBIS, SEL, behavior management) can Restorative Practices complement?
What are staff perceptions of student discipline, relationships, and school climate?
Do we have leadership buy-in, and are key stakeholders open to this shift?
This step often begins with a Restorative Practices training for school leaders, followed by a discussion to gauge alignment with current initiatives and goals.
2. Gather Voice and Build Buy-In
For implementation to succeed, educators, staff, students, and families need to be involved early.
Conduct Engagement Meetings where staff can ask questions and share perspectives.
Use Fair Process Decision-Making—explaining why the shift is happening, gathering input, and clarifying expectations.
Identify Restorative Champions—teachers and staff who will help lead the implementation.
Involve community members in engagement meetings to gather broader perspectives and foster collaboration.
3. Provide Restorative Practices Training
Training should not just be theoretical—it must be practical, engaging, and tailored to schools. Schools benefit most from in-person or virtual interactive sessions where staff can:
Learn the foundational principles of Restorative Practices.
Practice key strategies like Affective Statements, Restorative Conversations, and Proactive Circles.
Discuss classroom implementation techniques and restorative meeting templates to integrate into daily routines.
Learn about informal restorative practices to enhance community and relationship building within the school.
4. Implement Gradually and Embed in Systems
Restorative Practices are most effective when woven into existing structures. Some starting points include:
Classroom Implementation: Introduce proactive classroom circles and restorative conversation routines.
Restorative Meetings & Conferences: Train staff to facilitate structured restorative conversations using Restorative Questions.
Behavioral Response Integration: Align Restorative Practices with existing PBIS frameworks, discipline policies, and student support systems.
5. Monitor, adjust and Sustain the Work
Sustaining Restorative Practices requires continuous support, reflection, and adaptation. Schools can:
Use data to track changes in student discipline, school climate, and staff feedback.
Develop a sustainability plan, gradually shifting leadership and coaching responsibilities to in-house staff.
Provide ongoing professional learning and coaching to keep the momentum going.
Foster a positive school community by continuously engaging students and staff in restorative practices.
What Are Some Examples of Restorative Practices?
Schools can start small by integrating a few key Restorative Practices examples into daily routines:
Restorative justice practices foster a positive and respectful school community, aiming to reduce disciplinary disparities among students.
Classroom Practices:
Proactive Circles – Building relationships through structured discussions in morning meetings or advisory periods.
Affective Statements – Expressing feelings constructively (e.g., “I feel concerned when…”).
Practice empathy by encouraging students to understand and share the feelings of others during proactive circles.
Restorative Conversations and Meetings:
Restorative Conversation using the Restorative Questions to encourage accountability and repair.
Curbside Conversations – Quick, informal chats to de-escalate minor conflicts before they grow.
Schoolwide Strategies for the School Community:
Leaders Modeling Restorative Practices – School leaders can begin proactively building relationships with staff by using:
Proactive Circles in staff meetings to check in, discuss challenges, and celebrate wins.
Affective Language to express concerns or give feedback constructively (e.g., “I feel worried when deadlines aren’t met because it impacts our planning process.”).
Fair Process Decision Making to engage staff, student, and parent voice in decision-making, ensuring transparency and shared ownership.
Build out of Resources for Staff to Assist in Adoption: Providing timely, useful resources is key in any change management process. Leaders can make resources available such as:
Proactive Circle Templates and Guidelines complete with Circle Challenges and Solutions
Circle Prompts and Lesson Plans
Restorative Meeting Templates
Restorative Question Cards
Reflection Activities to do in staff or grade team meetings to evaluate their Calm & Reflect strategies, Compass of Shame reactions, or balance of accountability and support per the Engagement Window.
By embedding these restorative leadership strategies, administrators set the tone for a restorative school culture—not just for students, but for adults as well.
Communication in Restorative Practices: How to Have a Restorative Conversation
At the heart of Restorative Practices is effective communication—whether between students, staff, or administrators. Schools can teach restorative communication strategies using the Restorative Questions:
Restorative justice is a community-oriented approach that empowers students to address conflicts and repair harm through effective communication.
For Those Who Caused Harm:
What happened?
What were you thinking at the time?
What have you thought about since?
Who has been affected by what you have done? In what way?
What do you think you need to do to make things right?
This approach represents a shift from traditional school discipline to restorative practices that focus on accountability and repair, rather than punishment.
For Those Who Were Harmed:
What did you think when you realized what happened?
What impact has this incident had on you and others?
What has been the hardest part for you?
What do you think needs to happen to make things right?
Fostering a supportive school community through restorative practices is essential for nurturing relationships and creating a positive school culture.
These restorative conversation questions ensure that all voices are heard, accountability is taken, and steps for repair are clear.
How to Get Started with Restorative Practices Training
Schools looking to teach Restorative Practices effectively should prioritize high-quality training that includes practice, role-playing, and coaching. Training in restorative practice is crucial to ensure effective implementation, fostering respectful classroom environments and building community among students. Here at CSC, we’d strongly encourage you to choose trainers with deep experience applying RP in schools and in districts. This specific experience is vital to gaining buy-in and getting traction.
How to Find the Right Training:
Choose a provider with expertise in implementation, not just theory.
Prioritize in-person trainings with interactive engagement, quality practice, and real-time application.
Seek training that includes resources for school and classroom application- classroom techniques, restorative meeting templates, behavioral flowchart models, and circle resources.
Ensure the provider has rich experience implementing Restorative Practices effectively in schools.
At Collaborative School Culture, we specialize in helping schools implement Restorative Practices in a way that is practical, sustainable, and aligned with their existing systems.
Start Small—You Don’t Have to Do It All at Once
Restorative Practices don’t have to be overwhelming. Your school can start small by: ✅ Running a Restorative Practices training for leaders✅ Holding a follow-up discussion to assess fit with school priorities ✅ Introducing one or two key strategies before scaling up ✅ Embedding Restorative Practices into existing school frameworks gradually.
Restorative practices represent a shift from punitive measures to supportive, relationship-building approaches, focusing on building connections, fostering empathy, and allowing students to take ownership of their actions.
By taking small, strategic steps, schools set themselves up for success—creating a culture where relationships thrive, conflicts are addressed constructively, and accountability is a shared value.
If you’re ready to bring Restorative Practices training to your school or district, reach out to Collaborative School Culture today. We’ll help you take the first step toward meaningful, sustainable implementation!