Restorative Practices Training
What Is Restorative Practices Training?
As part of the ultimate goal of creating a harmonious school environment, Restorative Practices training could almost be considered a cornerstone. But what exactly is it? At its core, restorative practices training gives educators and administrators the very necessary tools and methods needed to create a sense of community, build strong, respectful relationships among students and staff, and resolve conflicts.
Restorative Practices, or RP, takes into account the notion that on their own, not everyone has the know-how or skills to speak directly to others when things go wrong. Additionally, many people do not take the time to foster relationships proactively, which is one of the simplest ways to build social capital and prevent and more easily resolve conflicts. RP provides explicit ways to do this, as well as gives specific tools for engaging others.
Traditionally, we’ve seen that schools and school districts tend to lean towards using RP as a response to a disciplinary situation rather than a proactive approach to building community – when, in fact, best practice RP is based on 80% proactive relationship building and only 20% harm reduction or harm repair. Another “myth” that we like to debunk is this one: Schools often think of adopting RP as a model or practice for students in a staff-to-student interactions . In fact, RP works best when it’s modeled by adults. RP creates a warm and welcoming environment for both learning and working, the latter being particularly important as statistics show that teachers are leaving the field, and recruitment continues to be a challenge nationwide.
Definition of Restorative Practices
Restorative practices are the science of building relationships and community and stem from a philosophy and approach that forward-thinking relationships themselves must be the focus in all settings . Simply put, that means deliberately incorporating practices to build relationships, as well as a sense of belonging and voice for both staff and students, as well as leaving space for healing measures and collective resolutions when there is conflict or questions.
History and Evolution of Restorative Practices
The concept of restorative practices has deep historical roots, tracing back to traditional and indigenous cultures that valued collective well-being and communal healing. Over the decades, this restorative approach has evolved and is found to make a significant impact on modern educational systems. The resurgence in restorative thinking today draws on these age-old principles, integrating them with contemporary educational methods to address the myriad of challenges in today's school environment.
More and more, we have lost what we had when we lived in fully integrated communities. Whereas people used to live in multigenerational homes with extended family and would continue to live and work in the same communities in which they grew up, now people are more likely to move away, have separate houses and distinct personal spaces within those houses, and of course, also have their own individual devices/smartphones that keep them engaged in their own private worlds. Via technology and other advancements, most of them very useful, “community” has suffered a gradual loss in terms of belonging, meaning, support, and face-to-face encounters that provide the emotional regulation, connection, and care we need to thrive. This is why we have to be deliberate about creating relationships and community and be explicit about how we do it.
Core Principles of Restorative Practices Training
Organizations have focused on what they’ve coined the four or five core principles of restorative practices, namely Respect, Responsibility, Relationship-Building, and Reintegration. While all of those principles are important, CSC believes that these leave out some fundamental pieces, namely the ability to calm yourself, help calm others and pause to reflect on what’s needed and how to proceed.
At CSC, we focus on these fundamental components:
Calm & Reflect
Restorative Mindset vs a Traditional Mindset
Inclusive Decision-Making Processes
Engagement with High Support & High Accountability
Explicit Practices to Build and Repair Relationships and Share Feelings and Needs
Adapted from the International Institute of Restorative Practices and Chicago Public Schools
And while core principles are important, systematizing them into actionable procedures is even more important to seeing these stick and become a part of peoples practice.
Why Is Restorative Practices Training Important?
Restorative practices training and the adoption of RP can play a crucial role in transforming the culture and climate of schools, baking in the practices for building relationships and community and repairing harm.
Without practices like RP in place, people get sucked into the current of their busy jobs and fail to take the time to proactively build relationships or community. Then, when tension or conflict emerges, people avoid talking about it..because it’s uncomfortable, they may not know how, AND it’s not likely to go well, especially if there isn’t already the foundation of a relationship in place.
Additionally, we know that, based on the national trend of teachers leaving the profession, t is no longer a given that school environments are ones in which people love to come to work, where they enjoy their teams and students and have the time and tools to easily build relationships and community. The assumption that time is needed to build relationships and manage conflicts is sadly not a given. Revisiting and making these elements a priority and providing a common language and tools makes it much easier to foster community and repair harm when it occurs. . It becomes “how we do things”.
RP training inspires people and provides the tools to make these changes happen.
In a recent district-wide training with over 300 staff attending 13 different sessions, our Restorative Practices Training received the following results:
Impact on School Culture and Community
While every academic community has its own POV on what works best regarding school culture, there is no doubt that implementing RP shifts the dynamic in profound ways.
In our own practice and application, we’ve seen the profound impact of Restorative Practices on multiple factors, including staff engagement, student belonging, and student-teacher relationships. Likewise, many aspects of discipline data, from the number of infractions to the length of suspensions, as well as a high reduction in out-of-school disciplinary placements, shift dramatically via RP. That said, the impact of robust RP implementation is best seen in some highly quality-controlled studies conducted by independent research organizations.
We recommend taking a look at a study conducted by The University of Chicago’s Education Lab on the implementation of Restorative Practices or Restorative Justice in Chicago Public Schools.
This study started in 2018 and is still ongoing.
Their findings thus far:
18% decrease in out-of-school suspensions
35% decrease in student arrests in school; 15% decrease in arrests out of school
Improved student’ perceptions of school climate driven by “large increases in students’ perceptions that their peers’ classroom behavior improved, their increased feeling that they belong at school and that school is a safe place to be.” (cite article)
What we at CSC found compelling about Chicago’s findings:
The positive outcomes were NOT because of “mechanical” changes, like a simple change to their discipline response or code of conduct. The robust use of Restorative Practices was the driver of positive outcomes.
Equally important, the reduction in suspensions did NOT result in increased in-school-suspension, classroom disruption, or poorer academic performance.
The RAND Corporation examined the impact of Restorative Practices implemented in 44 schools across Pittsburgh and analyzed the effects over two years. The key findings were this:
Restorative Practices were successful in reducing student suspensions overall in the Pittsburgh Public Schools district.
Restorative Practices reduced the suspension rates for elementary grade students, African American students, students from low-income families, and female students more than for students not in these groups.
Restorative practices did not improve academic outcomes, which is similar to the outcomes of the Chicago research. Also, RP did not reduce suspensions for middle school students, though the study also noted that middle schools did not utilize RP the way that other schools did.
Results for America, a non–partisan organization focused on evidence-based policymaking, published the results of Restorative Justice (RJ) implementation in The Oakland Unified School District in California. They found the following:
RJ practices led to an 87% reduction in suspensions and eliminated expulsions in early pilot programs.
The district-wide expansion showed further reductions in racial disparities in discipline, especially for Black male students.
Graduation rates increased, particularly for African American students.
The reduction in violence and bullying incidents was attributed to a more inclusive and supportive school environment.
Successful implementation was linked to strong leadership support, dedicated RJ staff at schools, and ongoing training.
You can read more about Restorative Justice Implementation in Oakland schools here.
RP Implementation Best Practices and Pitfalls:
The National Education Policy Center published this policy brief, The Starts and Stumbles of Restorative Justice Education: Where Do We Go from Here, Gregory & Evans, Jan.’20, summarizing the research on implementation in US schools. They also state that the results from case studies, district-wide correlational studies, and experimental trials “convincingly demonstrate that when schools implement a restorative initiative, their out-of-school suspension rates decrease.” They emphasize that when Restorative Practice or Restorative Justice implementation is done at high quality, they narrow racial disparities in suspension and foster positive student development.
This study provides very clear guidance on implementation must-haves and pitfalls. This article has helped guide our work at CSC.
Role in Conflict Resolution and Relationship Building
One of the greatest strengths of Restorative Practice (RP) training is its effectiveness in resolving conflicts. Using tools like affective statements, restorative questions, circles, and curbside conversations, students and staff develop essential communication and empathy skills. These skills not only help resolve current conflicts but also prevent future ones, providing lifelong value beyond graduation. Additionally, by involving everyone impacted in the resolution process, RP strengthens relationships, rebuilds trust, and fosters a more connected and supportive community.
Long-term Benefits for Students and Teachers
Administrators and teachers often disagree on how to respond to unwanted student behavior. And this tension causes rifts, often entrenched ones. When the adults at school can't agree on what students need, it feeds a negative culture that frustrates all, resulting in a tense work environment, prompting questions about the lasting impact that may have on students.
There are numerous long-term benefits for both students and educators who embrace RP. For students, it provides a framework for personal growth and emotional development. They learn to take responsibility for their actions, understand the impact of their behavior on others, and develop empathy. As it stands, so much attention is given to the student whose harm was caused, and minimal time is given to the student who was harmed. RP provides options to include both parties in making things right again.
For teachers, Restorative Practices offers effective strategies for building stronger relationships with students, managing classroom behavior, and perhaps most importantly, having a “baked-in” procedure to collaborate with the support staff and administrators who assist with a student’s unwanted behavior. In this way, they can collectively identify the best next steps for accountability, support, and repair. Oftentimes, students return to the classroom after an infraction with no opportunity for discussion as to what happened and what’s needed to move forward. When Restorative Practices are implemented well, these practices restore not only student-teacher relationships but also staff relationships.
How To Find Restorative Practices Training Near Me?
In our experience, RP training is THE most important first step in gaining interest and buy-in from your community. If the trainer isn’t engaging or doesn’t have experience working and applying RP in schools, you risk losing buy-in. If you’re beginning your search by googling “Restorative Practices training near me,” we recommend you do the following when you contact an organization:
Ask them if their trainer has experience applying RP in a school setting.
CSC’s trainers have excellent reviews and a rich experience applying RP to their work in schools. Their stories will resonate with your staff, and their suggestions and samples of applying the work will be relatable and immediately applicable.
We invite you to connect with us and tell us what you’re looking for. Are you searching for a Restorative Practices trainer with experience training elementary, middle, or high school teachers? A Restorative Practices trainer who has spearheaded Restorative Justice conferencing? Someone who has woven Restorative Practices into their PBIS framework? We’ve got you covered.
Bring the Training to You with Collaborative School Culture
Collaborative School Culture is able to tailor our training to suit your needs, as well as your time constraints. Though we recommend that your foundational Restorative Practices training or your Restorative Justice Conferencing training be in-person, as this yields the best engagement and excitement from participants, we understand that this isn’t always possible. We provide virtual or online Restorative Practices training and coaching for situations in which in-person just isn’t feasible.
TRAINING FOR STAFF: CSC provides the foundational Restorative Practices training as well as shorter workshops that are tailored to your needs and schedule. We provide a myriad of concise courses and sessions to help a leadership or grade team dive deeper into a Restorative Practice strategy to workshop a challenge or practice applications for the situation with a colleague, student, class, or parent. It’s one thing to learn about the restorative questions, but a completely different thing to use them naturally, in your own words, during a conflict with a colleague. These sessions help people practice the application to situations that make them anxious or frustrated so that when the time comes, they’re calm and ready.
TRAINING FOR FAMILIES & THE COMMUNITY: We also offer interactive virtual family and community Restorative Practices training, which is a big hit. When families are learning the practices along with staff, they can become a part of helping the school integrate Restorative Practices; this helps the entire community.
TRAINING FOR STUDENTS: CSC also has an array of lessons for students k-12 to learn the same foundational RP concepts and tools that staff have learned, helping to get everyone using the same language and practices.
What Are The Benefits Of Online Restorative Practices Training?
Online Restorative Practices (RP) training has become a valuable alternative to in-person sessions, offering flexibility, convenience, and cost-effectiveness. CSC’s virtual programs provide a wide range of courses and resources that complement the foundational RP training and support ongoing professional development.
You can choose from a menu of specialized topics like staff-to-staff conflict resolution, strategies to calm yourself down before initiating a conversation, and games and prompts for community-building. Virtual training also enables broader participation, allowing families, board members, and community stakeholders to learn alongside staff, fostering school-wide integration of RP.
Enhancing Classroom Management Skills
One of the standout benefits of RP training is its powerful impact on classroom management and revising the focus on punishment, which can lead to a cycle of misbehavior and resentment. RP emphasizes understanding, empathy, and community-building, which often gets to the root of the problem faster and more efficiently. Succinctly put, a classroom environment where students feel heard and valued is usually one in which teachers have a restorative approach, building relationships, holding the bar high, expecting accountability; essentially being warm and demanding. Likewise, a school environment where teachers feel heard and valued is usually one where leaders have a restorative approach..
So often, teachers are not included when a student is processing a classroom incident or are not given a chance to reconnect with a student after there is an incident that results in intervention, discipline, and/or family interaction. Via RP, students and teachers can process together to go from feeling disconnected or punished to feeling like there are opportunities for real repair and change.
Working with CSC, you can help integrate Restorative Practices into your foundational classroom management strategies and into your behavioral management flowchart. Even in casual interactions, CSC can provide you with a script for a restorative conversation that can take place in a classroom doorway when returning a student to the room, in addition to guiding best practices for more comprehensive interactions. We support your team with a menu of options for teachers and admin to use to co-create the next steps for a student, including options for support, accountability, and making amends.
Promoting a Positive Learning Environment
A positive learning environment is essential for student success, and Restorative Practices are instrumental in creating such an atmosphere. By shifting the focus from punishment to restoration, these practices encourage students to take responsibility for their actions and work collaboratively to resolve conflicts. This not only improves individual behavior but also cultivates a sense of belonging and community in the classroom. It also takes the sole or primary focus off of just the student who caused harm and provides structured time and attention to the student receiving harm. Another core concept in RP is to engage others with high accountability and high support. This provides a reflection tool for leaders, teachers, and parents/guardians to consider if they’re consistently holding a high bar while providing support and consider the factors that get in the way of this north star of engagement. These shifts are critically important at a time when student mental health is particularly worrisome. Per the CDC:
Nearly 20% of children ages 3-17 have an emotional, behavioral, or developmental disorder
40% of high school students experience persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness,
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for students ages 10-18.
These rates are even worse for marginalized students, who are more likely to be the recipients of harm. There is an urgent need for schools to operationalize and systematize practices to repair harm for the harmed and, just as important, prevent ongoing behavior from those causing harm.
Improving Teacher-Student Relationships
We all know that relationships between teachers and students are at the heart of the educational experience. Strong, positive relationships can significantly affect student motivation, engagement, and academic achievement. RP training helps teachers create a more trusting and supportive classroom environment. This connection not only enhances the educational experience but also supports students' social and emotional development.
RP training equips teachers with valuable tools to improve classroom management and build stronger relationships with students. Beyond the classroom, RP encourages curiosity, empathy, and stronger relationships for everyone in the building. As a model, Restorative Practices promote a deeper sense of belonging and purpose for the community.
“Our relationships are a source of healing and well-being hiding in plain sight – one that can help us live healthier, more fulfilled, and more productive lives.” Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General
The U.S. Surgeon General has highlighted an urgent mental health and loneliness epidemic affecting people across all demographics. Central to addressing this crisis is fostering social connection. However, our natural communities have steadily disintegrated over time. Where multigenerational households once thrived, we now often live in isolated nuclear units, with individuals retreating further into their own spaces, devices, and routines. This shift has diminished opportunities for face-to-face interaction, making it harder for people to connect meaningfully.
To combat the profound health impacts of loneliness and isolation, he urges us to prioritize building social connections as we would address other public health challenges like tobacco use, obesity, and substance abuse. By strengthening relationships and creating a culture of connection, we can foster a society that is healthier, more resilient, and deeply connected.
What Are Some Examples Of Effective Restorative Practices In Schools?
A core component of Restorative Practices is team huddles, or circles, used by both students and staff. Circles create an inclusive, engaging environment and can spark meaningful discussions and collaboration. While finding time for circles may seem challenging, CSC can help tailor circle practices to fit your district’s needs. You can decide how often to hold full circle lessons, choose from quick prompts ranging from light to deeper topics, incorporate academic content, and even use circles in team meetings.
Another effective practice is to weave Restorative Practices into your current PBIS system. You can integrate RP into your classroom management. For instance:
Use affective statements to maintain a 3:1 reinforcement-to-redirection ratio
Embed a curbside conversation into your behavioral flowchart as a practice to use before calling for support
Support staff can hold a quick, restorative curbside conversation with a student in the hall before returning them to class
. The admin can hold a restorative conversation when a student returns to school following a suspension.
CSC also has a menu of pre-referral and Tier 2 interventions that can be utilized to respond to a student with a pattern of unwanted behavior.
For teachers navigating difficult parent conversations, we provide resources and workshops to help script and practice those interactions, ensuring everyone feels prepared and confident.
We have a two-fold approach when it comes to changing practices/adopting new ones as a first step, followed by the longer-term implementation.
So often, schools try to adopt a new program, but just a year or two later, it’s dead. Not only is this a waste of time and money, but it causes staff to lose trust in any new program that is adopted.
For this reason, CSC will help you start by considering your plan or approach to RP adoption. We’ll help you assess various components, including:
Assessing Organizational Readiness for Change: We want to look at your systems and data with you to better understand what your most important next steps are. Sometimes, it’s not RP but other foundational steps that need to come first, like classroom management strategies, modes of operation for entry/dismissal/transitions, and clear and predictable communication from leadership. We can assist you in getting ready for RP adoption.
Building Buy-In, Including Nay-Sayers, and Building Momentum: We help you start with structured ways to build buy-in and engagement. Interviews gather many voices and perspectives, offer clear communication about what is being considered and how everyone’s involvement makes a difference, work with both the right early adopters and nay-sayers alike, and start that initial RP training with big momentum building.
Engaging Leaders and Choosing RP Champions: If your leaders aren’t on board, chances are, integrating RP will not be a priority. Change takes the leader's attention, and a team of RP champions will be the designers and multipliers who do the deep learning, modeling, and spreading of RP across their teams. We’re here to assist them in harnessing their power to lead.
High Quality Training, Coaching, Weaving into Procedures, and Monitoring: A fantastic training on its own can change the mindset and some behaviors, but if not supported by designing Restorative Practices to live in your day-to-day routines, supported by coaching, monitoring data, and staff feedback loops, it’s not likely to go deep or stick. CSC provides you with the support and resources you need to do all of this slowly and over time. We help you build capacity from within so that you can eventually take over all training and support.
All that said, CSC will meet you where you are. If you just want to start with training, we’ll begin there and move on to the next steps as both your time and knowledge base widen.
One of the staples of Restorative Practices is team huddles, known as circles, for both students and staff. Think of a meaningful staff activity, discussion, or collaboration that you were a part of. Circles immediately offer an experience that promotes connection and sparks joy. Finding the time to use circles is often a concern. CSC can help your district tailor circle practices to fit your needs: you’ll determine the frequency of full circle lessons, choose from a selection of quick circle prompts that run from low to high-risk questions, incorporate academic content circles, and weave circle practices into your team meetings. We have a myriad of other practical and effective Restorative Practice strategies you can integrate into your classroom management strategies, such as using effective statements for your 3:1 reinforcement to redirection ratio. We’ll help you integrate Restorative Practices into your behavioral management flowchart - for example, having the staff that responds to a classroom to support push-in to cover for the teacher while they have a quick curbside conversation with the student. We can help you weave Restorative interventions into your PBIS system with restorative Tier 2 interventions. We’ll support you with resources such as a script for a restorative conversation that can take place at the classroom doorway when returning a student to the room, and support your team with a menu of options for teachers and admin to use to co-create next steps for a student, including options for support, accountability, and making amends. Perhaps many teachers are struggling with having a challenging parent conversation- we have resources to workshop, practice, and script out those conversations, too.
Measuring the Impact of Restorative Practices on the School Community
Like any initiative, the implementation and impact of Restorative Practices are only made better by measuring their effectiveness and impact. It can be used to target a variety of factors, such as:
Employee and student engagement
Perception of culture and climate
Sense of belonging,
Discipline data such as suspension rates, disproportionate discipline, infraction rates,
It’s important to understand where the community wants to see improvement and target your initiative to have an impact on the change that’s deemed important.
A critical insight from the National Education Policy Center in its policy brief on Restorative Practice Implementation is this:
It’s crucial to invest in long-term, mixed-method research that not only measures the Restorative Practice outcomes but also measures the quality of the implementation or fidelity of implementation. Much like implementing new academic programming or PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports), the quality of the implementation determines the outcomes.
CSC can help you create a phased implementation plan with lead and lag measures to assess the fidelity of implementation and final outcomes.
How To Prepare For Restorative Practices Training In 2025?
If you’re preparing to offer Restorative Practices training for teachers in 2025, we recommend you consider the following:
If you haven’t yet added Restorative Practices to your strategic plan, consider training a small group of stakeholders first, including district and school leaders, teachers from multiple grade levels, support staff, social workers or counselors, and parent volunteers. Once this group understands what Restorative Practices and Restorative Justice are, they’ll be well-positioned to provide input into the planning and adoption of RP. Once you’ve decided to adopt Restorative Practices widely, let all stakeholders know that Restorative Practices will be implemented, beginning with the first steps for rollouts with all staff.
The foundational Restorative Practices Training for teachers and staff is a two-day training ahead of the start of the school year. Consecutive days are best, if possible. It’s important to consider what else may be on the teachers’ plates at the time of the training as well. Communicating early and often will help everyone plan ahead so that they can fully engage on the training days.
Book early for Restorative Practices training in 2025. School districts often have the same PD days, which means Restorative Practice trainers book up quickly. There are also some materials to order in advance, some logistics to work out, and some planning ahead to communicate clearly about what happens after the RP training.
Reach out to us today to learn how we can help support your 2025 Restorative Practice Trainings!