Restorative Practices

Educators across the country are replacing punitive discipline with a restorative approach, resulting in fewer suspensions and expulsions. Learn how educators make these practices successful in their classrooms and schools.

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  • An Alternative to Punitive Discipline That Really Holds Students Accountable

    True restorative practices call on students to repair what they’ve damaged and earn forgiveness from those they’ve harmed.
    Jeffrey Benson
    692

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  • An Administrator’s Strategy for Calming Disruptive Students so They Can Stay in Class

    When an administrator is called in to deal with a disruptive student, the situation is serious. This is a model for helping the student calm down so they can remain in class.
    8.1k

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  • Weekly Circles for Students and Faculty

    See what happens when students and faculty participate in regular meetings to build trust and promote deeper learning.
    20.1k

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  • Using Student Listening Circles to Promote Self-Advocacy in Middle and High School

    A practice associated with restorative justice can be used outside of that context to help students find their voice.
    261

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  • 3 Alternatives to Assigning Detention

    Developing relationships with students to help them make positive choices requires planning and patience, but the work pays off.
    5.7k

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  • A Relationship-Driven Strategy for Addressing Challenging Behavior

    Putting relationships first can yield positive results in student success.
    4.2k

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  • In the multipurpose room, a large group of middle school students fill one side of the bleachers, some clapping.

    Restorative Justice: Resources for Schools

    Explore resources and case studies that demonstrate how to bring restorative justice to your school or classroom.
    17.7k

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  • Using Restorative Communication as a Classroom Management Tool

    By avoiding communication blockers, teachers can help students talk through disruptive behavior in the classroom.
    835

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  • Building Community With Restorative Circles

    A technique for proactively building the skills and relationships students will need when challenges arise.
    12k

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  • Using Restorative Justice to Transform School Culture

    When restorative justice is implemented on a schoolwide level, it has the potential to transform relationships between teachers and students.
    3.7k

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  • An Alternative to In-School Suspension

    In lieu of a more punitive approach, students use restorative practices to resolve conflicts and reflect on their behaviors.
    11.2k

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  • Why Restorative Practices Benefit All Students

    Punitive discipline can be harmful and unfair—restorative practices offer hopeful solutions.
    12.4k

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  • Justice Committee: Using Restorative Practices to Resolve Conflicts

    Students at Pittsfield Middle High School are trained to mediate conflicts between their fellow students—and between students and teachers.
    11k

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  • A Proactive Approach to Discipline

    Restorative discipline seeks to create an environment in which problem behavior is less likely to occur.
    7.8k

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  • Suspensions Don’t Teach

    Restorative practices—an alternative to punitive justice—keep kids in school, where they can learn how their behavior affects others.
    7.4k

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