Restorative Practices:An Outside-the-Box Approach to Building and Sustaining Relationships in Schools

The time for strict zero-tolerance punitive discipline approaches in schools is over. In addition to being ineffective, traditional exclusionary discipline is often inequitable and even counterproductive. Restorative practices offer a comprehensive alternative approach that promotes a positive school climate with strong relationships at the center, where all community members feel a true sense of belonging. When harm is done or conflict occurs, restorative practices provide a differentiated framework for working with students to restore relationships, repair harm, and prevent recurrences.

This laminated guide by Rufus Lott III provides an overview of restorative practices and offers a three-phase model with concrete strategies for implementing RP in the classroom:

• The Connect Phase – Strategies include relationship-building circles, using affective language, developing a relationship agreement, and teaching emotional awareness skills.
• The Correct Phase- Strategies include restorative chats, restorative conferences, and restorative circles to collaborate with students to determine a way to right the wrong or repair the relationship, and continue with a plan to prevent future incidents based on acceptance of personal accountability.
• The Consequence phase – Rather than arbitrary punishment, consequences are determined by first considering the desired outcomes are then selecting a strategy to achieve that outcome.

This compact yet comprehensive guide will help educators begin their journey toward transforming school culture by implementing restorative practices.