Restorative Practices General Overview

Restorative Practices An alternative to traditional discipline Premise: Punishment changes behavior Statistics prove otherwise – “Pipeline to Prison” Is suspension an effective tool? Requires parent support… Consequences at home Targets symptom behavior Ignores cause of behavior Alienates & ostracizes students Student falls further behind at school Frustrates struggling parents Effective at creating a cooling off period Suspended & at home

Restorative Practices An alternative to traditional discipline Looks at repairing harm to community What has to happen to make this right? Restorative plan Examines the community’s culture Do we value all students? Stakeholder Input Impacted parties weigh in & have a voice Intervention groups (circles) Student remains in educational community Student stays on track to graduate

Common Restorative Practices Restorative Questions What happened, and what were you thinking at the time? What have you thought about since? Who has been affected by what happened and how? What about this has been the hardest for you? What do you think needs to be done to make things as right as possible? Hallmarks: Sit in circles Use talking piece Guidelines for speaking and listening Affective Statements “I feel…..” Restorative Questions Classroom Circles (community building and repairing harm) Restorative Dialogue Circle Somos Circles Middle School Circles Accountability Circles Expulsion diversion, etc.

Restorative Practices At CRPUSD Funded by SCOE New - Restorative Cultural Collaborative Sponsored by SCOE – 1 year program 11 Districts & 80 people CRPUSD sent 20 employees from all secondary sites & TPA Admin, counselors, teachers, campus supervisors Fundamental Goals: Understanding how trauma impacts education Building positive school cultures Equitable teaching practices Culture of caring & community Solid Introduction to restorative practices

Restorative Practices At CRPUSD Funded by Dept. of Corrections 2nd Year - Somos Circles for Grades 5-6 Contract with Restorative Resources Targets students who habitually disrupt school Seven weekly circle meetings & topics Include: Trust building Meaning of respect Empathy & compassion Dealing with anger Students share their stories & support each other Two one-hour parent sessions Parents learn skills to support their students.

Restorative Practices At CRPUSD Funded by Dept. of Corrections New – 7th & 8th Grade Program Restorative Dialogue Groups: Frequent Offenders 12 week circle sessions on site, after school Restorative Conferencing: Suspension Diversion Impacted parties meet & create restorative plan Restorative Resources facilitates conference Accountability Circle Referral: Expulsion Diversion Off Site Rehabilitation Plan Repairing the harm that was done Final circle includes all impacted parties

Restorative Practices At CRPUSD Funded by CRPUSD New – HS Expulsion Diversion Program Contract with Restorative Resources 12 Week Program - $850 Per Student Willingness from student and support from family Student with Non-Violent History Must not be danger to self or others Suspended Expulsion Rehabilitation Plan Repairing the harm that was done Final circle with everyone impacted by event

Restorative Practices Site-Wide Pilot Program Funded by CRPUSD Partner: Restorative Resources Two day training in restorative practices & circles All staff (Teachers, Admin, Classified). One additional day training for implementation team Plan roll-out Two day restorative conference training Admin & counseling staff 30 Hours of mentoring support On-site coaching Parent training Parents learn how to use a restorative approach

Restorative Summary Discipline alone often fails to change behavior Alienates students & increased drop out rate Restorative practices can be an effective tool Keeps students on target to graduate Currently at CRPUSD: New Restorative Collaborative (SCOE) Somos Circles 5-6 (Restorative Resources) New 7-8 restorative program (Restorative Resources) New HS expulsion diversion program (Restorative Resources) Next Steps? Continue to train admin team & teacher leaders Discuss pilot program & possible role-out.

Restorative Practices A Teacher’s Perspective Amanda Hilliard Evergreen Elementary School Restorative Practices in the classroom