What Does It Take To Apply Restorative Practices In Schools?
How Do You Implement Restorative Practices or Restorative Justice In Schools?
Restorative Practices, sometimes thought of as Restorative Justice, are more than disciplinary approaches—they’re frameworks for building community, strengthening relationships, increasing engagement, and repairing harm, all of which contribute to a positive school culture. However, implementing these practices requires thoughtful planning and ongoing attention.
School leaders play a crucial role in fostering a positive school culture through restorative practices training. They must actively promote and model restorative approaches during meetings and training sessions, helping to build community and strengthen relationships among staff and students.
Here’s what it takes to make them successful in schools.
Steps to Implement Restorative Practices or Restorative Justice Programming in Schools
At CSC, we recommend a six-step process to help schools implement Restorative Practices effectively to improve school discipline:
Assess Readiness: Before starting, we help schools evaluate their readiness. This includes analyzing current systems like PBIS, classroom management strategies, and behavioral flowcharts to identify gaps that might hinder implementation.
Gather Voice and Build Buy-In: Stakeholder engagement is so important. We guide schools in using Fair Process Decision Making to gather input from staff, students, and families. This approach ensures everyone feels included in the process. People who are most proximate to the work also have important design ideas and cautionary insights that can shape implementation in meaningful ways.
Restorative Practices Training: Foundational training helps staff understand the philosophy and tools of Restorative Practices, such as affective statements, restorative questions, and circles. It also focuses on shifting mindsets to prioritize relationships, accountability, and support.
Phased Implementation: Implementation is most effective when rolled out gradually. We help schools build a thoughtful slow-drip method to ensure long-term success.
Embed Practices into Systems: Restorative Practices aren’t stand-alone—they must be woven into existing systems like PBIS, disciplinary protocols, and classroom procedures. For sustainability, schools must operationalize restorative tools so they’re accessible and actionable.
Monitor and Adapt: Ongoing coaching and data collection are important in implementation. Schools track lead metrics that relate to quality implementation as well as lag measures like suspension rates, behavioral referrals, and school climate surveys to assess progress. Feedback loops ensure practices remain effective and relevant.
Various school districts, such as Oakland Unified School District and Fresno Unified School District, have successfully implemented these steps to foster a supportive school environment while reducing reliance on punitive disciplinary measures.
How Do You Apply Restorative Practices in the Moment?
Examples of Restorative Practices or Restorative Justice in Schools
Restorative Practices thrive when woven into the daily fabric of a school community. Here are some examples:
Circles: Circles can be used for proactive community-building, discussing academic content, check-ins and check-outs, or responding to specific conflicts. For example, an academic content circle might use an inside/outside circle to check for prior knowledge before starting a new unit. Circles are a key component of restorative justice practices, playing a crucial role in community building and fostering positive relationships.
Affective Statements: These are simple “I” statements used to express emotions constructively, fostering accountability and empathy (e.g., “I feel upset when…”). These are useful in enhancing a 4:1 reinforcement-to-redirection ratio.
Curbside and Restorative Conversations: Semi-structured discussions guided by the Restorative Questions help students reflect on their actions, consider their impact, and make amends. This can be a great step used by a classroom teacher before calling for support in a behavioral flowchart.
Peer Mediation Programs: Students trained as mediators help their peers resolve conflicts, creating a sense of shared accountability and collaboration within the classroom and school community.
Classroom Re-Entry Plans: Short restorative discussions when a student returns from suspension or removal help reintegrate them and rebuild trust.
Restorative Practices in High Schools and Middle Schools
In high schools and middle schools, Restorative Practices often include:
Student Training: Teaching students restorative tools equips them to handle conflicts and build positive relationships. These practices positively influence student behavior by focusing on relationship-building and community, rather than just enforcing rules and punishments.
Peer Mediation Programs: Students trained as mediators guide their peers in resolving conflicts, fostering accountability and understanding.
Alternatives or Complements to Suspension: Restorative Practices offer responses to misbehavior, like restorative conversations or amends, which add the important component of building empathy and social-emotional learning. These approaches contribute to academic success by creating inclusive environments that support students' overall well-being and ability to thrive academically.
Restorative Practices in Elementary Schools
For younger students, Restorative Practices focus on foundational skills like:
Emotional Regulation: Helping students identify and manage their feelings. Restorative practices assist in understanding and addressing the underlying reasons behind a student's behavior, promoting better emotional regulation.
Communication Skills: Teaching “I Statements”, shame responses, and empathy through active listening.
Repairing Harm: Guiding students to understand the impact of their actions, take accountability, and work toward forgiveness—of both themselves and others.
Examples might include using a circle to address playground conflicts or a quick restorative conversation to help a student reflect on disruptive behavior. These practices lay the groundwork for strong social and emotional skills that students carry into later grades.
All of these practices can align seamlessly with PBIS frameworks, behavioral flowcharts, and discipline procedures when you work with an organization that has experience implementing Restorative Practices in schools. By fostering a positive school community, these practices enhance relationships and create an equitable and respectful environment, ultimately improving overall school culture and student outcomes.
Examples of Restorative Practices for Staff and Why They Matter
Restorative Practices aren’t just for students—they’re equally valuable for fostering a positive and collaborative culture among staff. Here are some examples and the rationale behind them:
1. Community-Building Circles for Staff: Regular circles during staff meetings to check in, discuss challenges, or celebrate successes. Why? If you don’t build consistent routines for relationship-building and opportunities for discussion or feedback, the staff culture can turn sour. These circles are essential for fostering supportive school communities by enhancing interpersonal connections and creating an atmosphere where all members feel valued and heard.
2. Affective Statements in Peer Communication: Originating from Non-Violent Communication (NVC), using “I” statements to express feelings constructively during conflicts or when providing feedback. Why? Schools are hard places to work right now. People need communication strategies and tools for conflict resolution that are taught and normed across the building.
3. Restorative Conversations Among Staff: Structured conversations using restorative questions to address misunderstandings or conflicts between colleagues. Why? These conversations repair harm, rebuild trust and model the very practices staff are expected to use with students.
4. Engagement Window and Compass of Shame Exercises: Guided reflective exercises to help staff assess their responses to conflict or stress. Why? These exercises are crucial for fostering a positive school culture by encouraging self-awareness and emotional regulation, which are critical for maintaining a restorative mindset and modeling positive behavior for students. Also, the staff loves these!
5. Fair Process Decision-Making: Involve staff in decisions that affect them using a 3-step process: gathering input, explaining the rationale for final decisions, and clarifying expectations. Why: Because we’re all more likely to buy in when our voices are heard and used, and when a process has been transparent and fair.
6. Curbside Conversations for Early Conflict Resolution: Informal one-on-one discussions to address concerns before they escalate into larger issues. Why? Because when we don’t speak to each other about the small tensions, they build up and cause rifts. People need strategies and practice because hard conversations are hard to start!
What Are The 5 Steps Of Restorative Practices?
To make implementation easier, it’s helpful to use checklists or menus with short descriptions. This operationalizes restorative practice and gives staff choices and reminders about what’s needed and what’s available. It also helps keep people on the same page. School districts have successfully implemented these steps to improve school culture and relationships. Check out the blog we’ve written on The 5 Steps of Restorative Practices. In the meantime, here’s a quick overview:
Calm Self: Pause.. and breathe. The first step is to manage your own emotions. When we’re upset, our ability to think clearly is compromised. Which means the decisions we make in those moments are less than stellar. That’s not a good ripple effect, either.
Calm Other: Help the other person de-escalate using bottom-up brain strategies.
Reflect: Consider the lagging skills, the root causes of behavior, and the impacts your non-verbals or actions are having on the other. Tools like the Compass of Shame and Engagement Window are useful in this stage.
Repair: Collaborate with all parties involved to address harm and decide how to make amends. Options might include restorative conversations or natural consequences.
Plan: Create a clear path forward to prevent future issues and provide necessary support.
Ready to take the next step in transforming your school culture?
At CSC, we specialize in helping schools implement Restorative Practices with fidelity, providing tailored training and ongoing support to ensure long-term success. Whether you’re just starting or looking to refine your existing practices, we’re here to help you build stronger relationships, improve school outcomes, and create a community where everyone thrives.
Contact us to learn more about our in-person and virtual training options or explore how we can support your school’s journey with Restorative Practices. We look forward to helping you!